Tough economic times mean that many companies are looking for ways to cut back and save money. While this is certainly an understandable reaction to the recessionary climate, there are certain areas where it pays to reduce expenses rationally instead of wildly swinging the budgetary axe. For example, one of the first places companies look to trim costs is in operating expenses and everyone knows what the single largest operating expense is for most businesses: employees. If demand for the product a company manufactures is significantly down, then it makes sense to reduce shifts or even to cut production staff. Departments like maintenance can be trimmed back; after all, while important for employee morale, cleaning services can usually be scaled back without directly impacting operational capability. When looking at areas to trim staffing costs, companies should tread lightly when it comes to frontline staff like sales reps and the people manning the telephones. Think about the phones for a moment. Even in the age of the Internet, the telephone is often the first point of human contact between a company and its customers. There is only one chance to make a good impression and no potential client is going to be impressed by a dropped call, a busy signal, having to run the gauntlet of an automated answering system, being shunted immediately into voicemail or reaching an operator they have difficulty in understanding. Sometimes there simply is no choice and a company can no longer afford to run their own customer support center, but cutting costs doesn’t have to mean sacrificing a quality customer experience. Opting for a professional call answering service can not only take the place of a downsized department and save money on the operational budget, but it’s possible to actually improve on customer satisfaction. ATSI (the Association of TeleServices International) is the leading industry trade association representing telephone answering providers and associated services; choosing a company which is in good standing with ATSI helps to ensure a quality solution. There are telecommunication companies that offer options ranging from live telephone answering, help desk and technical support, order fulfillment and credit card verification to more technical requirements such as fax capabilities, and web-based customer e-mail. By contracting out the functions once supported by its own customer support center to a reputable call fulfillment company, businesses can reduce costs while maintaining (if not improving) customer experience.
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