Tom Brady, Lebron James, Mike Trout — superstar athletes bring home the hardware and enjoy the accolades. They win league MVP trophies, championship rings (well, usually; sorry Mike), and boatloads of cash in contracts and endorsement deals. Songs are sung in their honor, they are made into movie stars, and they even try their hand at comedy. They reach these heights by punching it into the end zone, draining the clutch three-pointer, or connecting on the bases-loaded 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. Many times, we lose sight of how the superstar was put into that winning situation: we forget about the offensive tackle who gave Brady an extra second in the pocket, the center who rebounded the ball and threw the outlet pass to Lebron, or the batter ahead of Trout who drew the walk to load those bases. Don’t forget about the coaches who called the plays, the salary-cap genius who did the math to bring the roster together, and the box office attendant who sold the tickets that packed the seats to make everything possible. In other words, it takes a village — in sports, in life, and in business.
They say good help is hard to find. It probably seems easier for big businesses to find that help with their seemingly unlimited resources to pay an army of C-level executives, VPs, directors, managers, specialists, coordinators, and interns. What’s it to them to pay an average salary of about $28,000 per year on a receptionist to helm a five- or six-figure business telecommunications network?
Well, we’ve got a great tip for the little guy. Yeah you: The small business owner or entrepreneur that must work smarter to survive every pitfall. You can put away your platinum card; you don’t have to set tens of thousands of dollars on fire just to keep up with the corporate monoliths. Small businesses stay neck-and-neck with their well-financed competitors using a virtual receptionist.
In addition to exceptional pricing and a plethora of additional features, YouMail’s own Virtual Receptionist provides exceptional productivity boosts to any small business. Let’s start with these five:
1. Always Open
People like the internet because it’s like Denny’s: always open. Customers don’t have to worry about business hours or business attire; they can come as they are. A virtual receptionist brings that freedom to the phone by automatically greeting callers with a custom “away” text or email message if you’re unable to pick up the line. Your away message can even include a picture, logo, link, or a button to allow them to book an appointment.
2. No Mix-Ups
Have you ever listened to an important voicemail only for the callback information to be muffled or incoherent? A virtual receptionist saves you from those awkward situations by collecting contact information for every caller so you know exactly who called and how to get back in touch with them easily. Callers also have the option to get re-routed to another team member or different number to reach you. Strengthening this vital exchange of information can mean the difference between scoring an opportunity or having it slip through your fingers.
3. White-Glove Service
Let’s face it, the better business is going, the more calls you’re likely to miss because you’re already on the phone with other customers. A virtual receptionist ensures that each missed caller receives a premium reception. You can have callers greeted by name and with a message personalized to them. Account-based marketing is something of a holy grail in the digital space. A virtual receptionist serves as a similar purpose on the phone at a fraction of the cost. You know you’re at a swanky restaurant when you make a reservation and the maître d’ summons you by your last name to follow him to your table (“Right this way, Mister Johnson.”). C’est magnifique!
4. Putting on Airs, While Taking Out the Trash
Sometimes when starting out, a small business would prefer not to let on about how small the operation really is. A virtual receptionist allows you to present yourself over the phone as more sophisticated than you might otherwise appear if you were hectically chasing down callers all day long. And we all deal with more than our fair share of junk robocalls each and every day (12.2 robocalls per person on average in January 2021, 63 percent of which classified as scams or telemarketing). Robocalls are a colossal waste of time even for a human receptionist. YouMail robocall blocking sifts out the garbage so you can be more focused on and professional with the callers who really matter.
5. Spend Smarter
Other softphone providers charge an arm and leg for one line with limited features shared by multiple users. Their basic plans start at $20 per month per user and get as costly as $50 per month per user with limited features on just that one line. YouMail keeps it simple. Our Professional Plans start at just $10.99 per month total. We start at three lines and offer as many as 15 separate numbers based on the plan you choose. Each plan includes a virtual receptionist, voicemail forwarding, business hours, robocall and spam protection, vanity numbers, and more.
When your phone system is always open, dialed-in, offers white-glove service, blocks robocalls, and is a smarter spend, the choice becomes a no-brainer, particularly for small businesses and entrepreneurs. YouMail Virtual Receptionist is the offensive lineman, point guard, and lead-off hitter all in one that your business needs to become the G.O.A.T.
