Feedback / experience in virtual receptionist/ assistant

6 replies
Hi, I'm considering getting a virtual receptionist to my business mainly making calls, follow-up and managing my appointment.

Would to hear from the community your experience and any problem. I'm aware that lack of tracking and controlling will be a problem. Do share more with me as I consider my option of getting a virtual or a local one.
#assistant #experience #feedback #receptionist #receptionist or #virtual
  • Profile picture of the author TeaCozy
    Do it. I use one and she is amazing.

    I don't get her to make calls, I just set tasks for research and gathering data for me, fairly simple tasks that take a long time.

    I manage my own diary and phone calls, as my clients wouldn't be keen on having someone discuss their work that doesn't really have the necessary experience.

    I highly recommend it and my VA costs $5 per hour, so it is worth the effort to track down a good one.

    Tracking and control doesn't need to be a problem, just set tasks and allocate how long it will take and ensure he/she does it within this time frame, you will soon know within a few hours work if the VA is for you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Qing Long
      Originally Posted by TeaCozy View Post

      Do it. I use one and she is amazing.

      I don't get her to make calls, I just set tasks for research and gathering data for me, fairly simple tasks that take a long time.

      I manage my own diary and phone calls, as my clients wouldn't be keen on having someone discuss their work that doesn't really have the necessary experience.

      I highly recommend it and my VA costs $5 per hour, so it is worth the effort to track down a good one.

      Tracking and control doesn't need to be a problem, just set tasks and allocate how long it will take and ensure he/she does it within this time frame, you will soon know within a few hours work if the VA is for you.
      I actually need a receptionist more to pick phones and follow up calls. Any drawback like how you pay them? via Paypal?

      My biggest concern is controlling and tracking, as you know they are the one representing my company brand and name.
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  • Profile picture of the author james flynn
    Originally Posted by Qing Long View Post

    Hi, I'm considering getting a virtual receptionist to my business mainly making calls, follow-up and managing my appointment.

    Would to hear from the community your experience and any problem. I'm aware that lack of tracking and controlling will be a problem. Do share more with me as I consider my option of getting a virtual or a local one.
    Well if your business load is exceptionally large and you are worried that a lot of inquiries are going unnoticed then keeping a virtual receptionist can really turn the trick. In the end,it's all based on the cost -benefit analysis of this decision you are about to take . Find out weather it's worth it or not? Assess the whole situation once you try out this new idea and if it in any way ends up being a positive force for your business progress then go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author RefuseToLose
    How big is your business?

    If your business relies heavily on those two aspects you mention, you should look into hiring a local person you can watch over until they understand the business.
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  • Profile picture of the author tristatemedia
    i use to hire a calling service where a real person will take you messages and actually tell them abotu your product and service. it was very inexpensive. i think it was $100 a month in the usa
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  • Profile picture of the author murry
    Hi Qing Long!
    Personally, I think hiring and working with a VA requires some trust from both sides.
    Some tips that might help you to work better with your VA.
    • It's very important to give a VA clear instructions. Vague and general instructions will leave a lot of room for mistakes.
    • And after giving an instruction for a task ask a VA whether they understand the task clear. You can also ask them to tell you what exactly should they do and how should they do it.
    • Establish your workflow. What hours of the day/night you want to them to work, or maybe you want to update tasks weekly, and so on.
    • Also, be sure to interview them and give them a trial task. Finding a perfect VA can take some time.
    A little more info about secretary VA (How Can a Secretary Virtual Assistant Help You?)
    I'd like to partially agree with RefuseToLose, but would like to add both assistants require communication from your side.
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