In your office, the receptionist is on the front lines for your business or practice. Your receptionist will handle calls, route them, screen and point your calls where they need to go. In many cases, the receptionist leaves the first impression of your company and is a constant representative of your company. It is important the impression you set is a lasting one. Every call is potentially the most important call your company will ever get. If your receptionist can’t answer your calls or if you don't have a receptionist and are using voicemail to answer the calls you can't get, you need a virtual receptionist.

In today's world with telephony technology, your receptionist no longer needs to be sitting at a desk in the front of your office. In fact your receptionist does not even need to be an employee. A virtual receptionist is the way to reduce overhead, increase efficiency and improve your image. The virtual receptionist is the most important component in today's virtual office. Today, many answering services offer your company every benefit of having a personal, virtual receptionist. By definition, these are employees of the call center that will answer your telephone with your custom greeting and follow your instructions. Many times they can screen, announce, and transfer your calls anywhere, to your office, home, even to your cell phone. Your new "virtual" employee will take your messages, transfer to your voicemail, and provide the highest level of CSR.

With many virtual office services, you only pay for the time your phone calls are being handled without having to pay the extra expenses for a full time employee. This type of services lets you eliminate the headaches of having an employee including turnover, payroll taxes, benefits and absenteeism. You don't have to worry about lunch breaks, employee relations and meeting the high cost of payroll and employee related lawsuits. Answering your phone is a critical component in the success of any business. Making sure your phone is answered and answered professionally is critical. When you look for a virtual receptionist, make sure they understand this and they take their job very seriously. They should know that missed calls often result in lost opportunities and lost revenue. Since there are so many companies that offer this type of service, make sure they understand how vital of a role they will be playing in your business.

When choosing a virtual receptionist, make sure they fit your needs. If you require calls to be transferred to your cell phone, office phone, or wherever you are, make sure they are able to do that and be aware of the costs. Some services will charge extra for this service (which is called call patching), others include it in services. You want to make the most of every telephone call. A live voice is always more professional than voicemail and is very cost effective. A virtual receptionist will allow your staff to focus on their jobs instead of just handling your phone calls and can be the greatest decision that any business can make.