As a small business owner you don’t want to miss out on any phone calls, but perhaps your phone is ringing off the hook all day so that the number of inbound calls is unmanageable. Or perhaps you get a lot of calls during non-traditional work hours.

You could turn to a B2B call center to assist you, but we think a virtual assistant can do a better job while being just as cost-effective. Here’s why!

Inbound Callers Hate Phone Queues

When you work with a B2B call center are pretty much guaranteed that other businesses are also using the same call center. Because only so many people will be employed at that center some of your inbound calls may be placed in a waiting queue.

Making prospective customers wait before they even get to speak to a representative isn’t a great way to kick off a relationship.  Especially when that rep may not even be able to answer the caller’s questions because she doesn’t specialize in what you do.

Hiring a virtual assistant handle your overflow or off-hours phone calls means having one person who is dedicated to your business. You can train her so she understands your product or service as deeply as a full-time employee. And you can also rest assured that your virtual assistant is 100% dedicated to your company when she’s on the clock.

Instead of relying on overworked B2B call center employees who jungle multiple company lines each day, hire a virtual assistant that is just as cost-effective but much more dedicated to you.

Customers Want Real Help Not to “Try Restarting Your Computer”

In addition to issues with B2B call center queues, the bottom line is that every customer and client is different.

When a customer calls you, many times it indication that he is experiencing issues with your product. Someone within a call center will not be able to quickly liaise with your tech/product guys to figure out a solution.

In most cases these call center workers will need to take a message that is passed down the chain of command leaving your customer waiting for a call back.

Or, in a worst case (but common) scenario, your customer is frustratingly put through a series of tasks like “try restarting your computer” and “please check that your Internet connection is working by typing in G-O-O-G-L-E DOT COM into your browser.” Ugh!

Neither of these two scenarios will help your company build customer loyalty.

However, a virtual assistant is like an extended member of your team. He or she can communicate with your employees via email, instant message or phone to quickly put together a real solution for your customer.

Extensive Knowledge is Needed for the Sale:

When inbound leads call your sales line there is a certain expectation that the person on the other end will be knowledgeable about the product or service. When that person on the other end is simply a generic B2B call center employee, that expectation may not be met.

Many B2B call centers will train their employees so that they can speak intelligently about the major benefits of your company. However, there will undoubtedly be some inbound leads who have questions that only someone with intimate knowledge of your product could answer.

Enter the virtual assistant who has been trained just like an employee and who also has access to your employees (and you). The virtual assistant, who essentially has become a specialist in regards to your company, will be able to answer the caller’s questions or quickly get the caller an answer.

Sometimes extensive knowledge is needed to close a sale, and a B2B call center worker is likely to be more of a generalist. It’s not the call center employee’s fault, it’s just the nature of their role.