7 Effective Ways Call Screening Services Can Save You Time

Time is money for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Incoming phone calls can be a real nuisance, interrupting critical work on projects and customer interactions and consuming valuable time. Yet, in some cases, depending on the caller, answering the call and routing the caller to the right person on the team is pivotal—often the difference between new business and a lost business opportunity, an engaged customer and a dissatisfied detractor. 

Call Screening Is Not an Option

Many entrepreneurs and small businesses assume they do not need call screening and/or that the cost to have call screening is too much for their budgets. In some cases, with the availability of caller ID, they may conclude call screening is not even needed. The reality is that call screening is a critical entry point into the business, and those who opt to forego call screening services can be putting their businesses at risk. The good news is that with on-demand live receptionist services such as Davinci Live Receptionists, the entry bar for putting a call screening solution in place is very low.

Ways Call Screening Services Can Save Time

Following are some use cases for call screening services:

1. Identify the Caller

Now you may say, “I have caller ID; there is no reason for me to use a call screening service to identify incoming calls.” However, in growing instances callers are blocking their numbers. Further, just because you have an ID for an incoming call, that does not mean that you necessarily know the identity of the caller (viz., many business numbers are shared by the entire business or groups within the business). Activating call screening enables you to find out exactly who is calling from a particular number and to determine if that caller requires immediate assistance or if they can be forwarded to voice mail. In the end, avoiding these irrelevant calls or ones that do not require immediate attention can save a business significant time.

2. Prioritizing Calls

Not every incoming call necessitates the same priority level—something caller ID will never tell you. In this case, call screening can help you pinpoint calls that need immediate attention and to whom they should be routed, those can wait and can be routed to the appropriate voice mail, and those that are irrelevant (e.g., cold sales calls, recorded spam, non-business calls). This allows you and your team to focus on your work while ensuring that you do not miss priority calls from customers, prospects, and partners.

3. Answering Calls After Service Hours

Entrepreneurs and small businesses cannot be available 24 hours a day. A call screening service gives customers and prospects with the ability to interact with you when you are not available. It can also help you identify situations after hours that require your assistance immediately (e.g., plumbing service, legal decisions, etc.). Without a call screening service, you are left pushing after-hour calls into voice mail and delaying a response to situations that demand attention right away. 

4. Transcribing Voice Mail Text and Email

While not every call screening service includes this capability (make sure to evaluate all options when considering a provider), being able to receive emails and texts of received voice mails can save an entrepreneur and small business substantial time—namely, you no longer need to listen to your voice mail but rather can get it in real time in text and/or email. 

5.  Managing Call Screening—Online and Via Mobile App

Although not available with every call screening provider, the ability to build custom call-forwarding configurations for each member of the team can save a lot of time. And with many entrepreneurs and small businesses constantly on the go, having a command center available online and through a mobile app where you can manage these nuances (as is the case with Davinci Live Receptionist) can be a real plus.

6. Using Intelligent and Automated Call Routing

For some businesses, a one-size-fits-all approach to call routing is all that is needed. But for many, call routing is determined by week, day, or even time of day. When individuals and groups are available and not available are also factors to consider. 

This is where advanced call routing is critical. Through a centralized command center, businesses can set up different numbers and groups and schedule separate numbers across different groups based on time of day. Recognizing that seconds count when it comes to impressions in today’s digital world, configuring call routing down to what phones you want to ring and in what order are just as important. It can also save countless minutes spent by a team trying to get a call to the right person on the team.

7. Tapping Machine Routing

Sometimes, businesses may elect to route certain calls through an automated receptionist—or at least initially before routing them to a live receptionist or to specified members of the team. And just as is the case with live receptionists, machine call screening and routing requires customized routing capabilities. It should go without saying that automated receptionist services should not come with expensive equipment that is time-consuming to set up and manage. Rather, businesses should look for solutions that are integrated with live receptionist services and moreover reside in the cloud and can be managed online and via mobile app. 

Call Screening Services Add Business Value

Business is often conducted at a frenetic pace, and it is difficult for entrepreneurs and small businesses to keep up. Call screening is something that should not detract from the business but rather add value—and this is precisely what occurs when the right call screening service is put into place.

About Patrick Spencer

Patrick Spencer (Ph.D.) is the President and Founder of TIRO Communications that helps companies develop, build, and manage content, customer, advocacy, and demand-gen programs. Included in its offerings is TIRO Cognition Insights, a data analytics tool that enables B2C and B2B businesses to pinpoint what their customers and competitors’ customers are saying and to identify corresponding actionable product, services, competitive, sales, and marketing intelligence.

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Website: www.tirocommunications.com