6 Ways a Virtual Receptionist Service Can Help Your Financial Planning Firm

This guest blog is courtesy of Ruby Receptionists, a company that offers virtual receptionist services for all types and sizes of businesses including financial advisors.

By: Katie Wilson
Sales and Marketing Associate
Ruby Receptionists

There are many ways to manage your financial planning firm’s phone calls, from answering phones yourself to hiring an in-house receptionist. However, answering your own phone may not be practical and depending on your call volume and workload paying a full-time employee salary plus benefits may be out of your budget.  Having a virtual receptionist service support your growing business may be a cost-effective and worthwhile alternative. Here are a few benefits a virtual receptionist service may provide to your firm:

Appear more well-established. Answering your own phone may make your company seem small and inexperienced — and possibly even spook new business. Having an intermediary such as a virtual receptionist answering phones may make you appear busier and inspire confidence in potential clients.

Make a great first impression. Many financial professionals frequently find themselves in back-to-back meetings and unable to take calls. However, new clients and current clients alike will appreciate speaking to a live person such as a virtual receptionist rather than going to voicemail. Virtual receptionists are also able to answer frequently asked questions and engage with callers to make them feel heard.

Schedule your interruptions. If you’re working on something that requires a high level of concentration, the last thing you need is to be interrupted with a phone call. Like in-house receptionists, virtual receptionists can hold your calls for as long as you’d like so you can have some peace and quiet to get work done. Some virtual receptionist services even have a handy iPhone app to update your status in a snap!

Take calls on your terms. Not every call needs to be dealt with right away, but perhaps you have a preference on which are priorities. We’d be happy to follow your instructions for how to deal with different types of calls; for example, perhaps you’d like us to try your desk phone for current clients, but you’d like us to track you down for new clients by trying your cell phone as well. 

Stay in the loop. Virtual receptionists can also collect different information before they try your line or when they are taking messages. They can ask current clients what the call is regarding, and gather how new clients heard about you, what services they’re interested in, etc. – the possibilities are endless!

Feel free to move about the cabin. You may never even need an office since you won’t be chained to your desk anymore, just in case the phone rings. With a central phone number and cheerful virtual receptionists who sound like they’re in your office – whether or not you have one – you’ll be able to work whenever and wherever you like.

Ruby_® Receptionists is a virtual receptionist service that helps numerous financial planners every day, projecting a professional image for their company and assisting them in making the best use of their valuable time. With a team of bright, friendly virtual receptionists on your side, you’ll be able to get more work done and impress new clients, all while providing top-notch customer service!