How Answering Phone Calls Eats Your Precious Time

Posted November 29, 2011 in business call answering, professional answering service, small business by admin

Even though we are now in the digital age, we all spend time answering phone calls on a daily basis. In fact, despite all of the new channels in which we have to communicate, many people are spending more time on the phone than ever before. The challenge is, very few business professionals differentiate between what are productive phone conversations vs. what calls are really a waste of time.

Is This You?

Personally, I am a ‘to-do’ list maker. I start my day with a list of the most important action items to accomplish by the end of the day. I recall many occasions where I would dive into my list, and then the phone would ring. At the end of the day, I would look at my list and wonder why so few action items got completed. Turns out, answering phone calls can derail your daily efforts quite easily.

Granted, some of the calls were clients or business associates with issues that needed to be addressed. But, out of frustration from my regularly uncompleted task list, I began to track the calls I answered and learned the majority were not of a high enough priority to warrant interrupting my critical action items of the day. Once I began working with a professional answering service, the daily task list was completed much more regularly and my productivity as a manager and team leader soared.

Answer the “Right” Calls

The best part is, client satisfaction actually increased. By setting the proper routing, priority and escalation processes in place for inbound calls, the important client and business associate calls were directed to me while the less important calls that used to derail my daily efforts were now either routed to other team members or properly messaged so I could deal with them at a more appropriate time.

The real key for me was that answering phone calls was no longer impeding my progress. After all, those important daily tasks were tied to monthly, quarterly and yearly goals that help drive the overall success of the company.

Does Answering Phone Calls Hold You Back?

Although not a fit for every business model, more and more senior business managers and owners are starting to realize the strategic value of answering phone calls through a professional answering service. If the ‘Is This You?’ section above sounds remotely familiar to you or the senior members of your business organization, then engaging a professional answering service may be something you should investigate. If you do have questions on how these services can help support your business efforts, then feel free to contact us, we always have an open line!

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