1. Voicemail is killing my business (53% of respondents). Voicemail is one of those solutions we all wished was effective, but we know it isn’t. Wouldn’t it be nice if prospects just left messages so we could call them back when it’s most convenient? Unfortunately, that’s not what happens. Instead, they hang up on voicemail 80% of the time (according to Forbes) and then call someone else and do business with them. What business can survive losing 4 out of 5 revenue-producing opportunities? Not many. And that’s why businesses are smart to look for cost-effective alternatives to the dreaded (and antiquated) voicemail box.
2. My staff is swamped and call quality is suffering as a result (21% of respondents). Very few businesses have the luxury of over-staffing their offices so that each employee can focus on a particular function or task in order to perform it to the best of their abilities. That means mission-critical functions, such as answering inbound phone calls, are left to folks that are pulled in too many different directions. The results are long hold times, poor customer service, negative online reviews, and lost profits across the board. This unfortunate chain of events can be easily avoided with an effective answering service in place.
3. I’m just starting my business and don’t have the money for a receptionist (11% of respondents). Outsourcing various functions while you are getting underway is just smart business. With startup failure rates humming at around 90%, you don’t want to make the mistake of staffing up before you have the business to warrant it. That’s why it’s important to leverage cost-effective alternatives whenever possible; and phone answering is one of those areas you can effectively outsource.

We hope you found this list interesting. And for those of you that are curious, rounding out the top 5 were:

4. We aren’t converting inbound leads at a high percentage, so we’re looking for alternative solutions (8% of respondents).

5. We’re experiencing high-turnover at our front desk and need help while we get new people up to speed (5% of respondents).