The term virtual receptionist can be a little confusing. Just by the sound of it, you might assume that it is the same thing as a traditional receptionist but online. That’s not wrong. A virtual receptionist can do all of the same things that a traditional receptionist can do, but there is more to a virtual receptionist than just that. In fact, a virtual receptionist can do a whole mass of things that a traditional receptionist can’t do, but today we are just going to focus on one important aspect – recording calls.

You might not have thought about the benefits of having a call recorded before, but you have probably been on a recorded call. Think about all those times you have called big companies, and you are told that a call may be monitored or recorded. When you are the caller, you think nothing of that sort of thing. It’s no problem at all for the caller, but it is a huge benefit to the company, and it can be a huge benefit to your business too. Usually that line is followed by something about how the recording will be used for training purposes. This is the first among many great benefits to recording calls. If you have a backlog of recorded calls that demonstrate common customer or client problems, then you have a training resource right there. Maybe you are promoting someone to a managerial level, and you need to show them how to handle a call with an important business partner. Recorded calls would be useful then too. These examples hopefully show that a virtual receptionist does not even have to be on the call to record it for you. They can set up a call for you, and then record it. A rare traditional receptionist might be able to do that, but not with the speed and efficiency that a virtual receptionist can.

But training is not the only reason why having calls recorded is a benefit. Imagine you are having some issues with a client or partner. There is a disagreement between you and this other individual over what was said or agreed upon in an order. You can go back to the recorded call to ensure them that what you are saying is correct. In a more positive light, recording calls can make sure this problem does not even come up in the first place. If you are questioning something on an order form, or if you are unsure of something in your notes from a business call, then you can just go back to the recording. Having your call recorded means that mistakes will happen less often, and when they do, then you have something to fall back on or something to use for more training of future employees.

Let’s look at one more example though. Already you have two great examples of why having your virtual receptionist record calls for you can be helpful, but there’s a third – better messages. The traditional receptionist is well known for writing down notes or messages and handing them to the boss when he or she walks in from a meeting or from being off site. These messages can sometimes be illegible, confusing, and they might not get at the important details of the call in the first place. All of those problems are out the window when you have a virtual receptionist. They are professionally trained to make sure you and your business run as efficiently as possible, so that means that there would never be any sloppy, confusing, or misguided notes that you would have to sort through. Better yet, you can ditch the notes and messages entirely. A virtual receptionist can record the call for you. That way you can go back and actually listen to the call and get the message exactly as it was meant to be delivered. Furthermore, you don’t even have to wait to get back to the office to get it. A virtual receptionist can have the audio recording sent to you, and they can have it sent in a variety of ways depending on how you want it – text, email, or phone. Recording calls is only one of the many benefits of a virtual receptionist, but it is definitely a big one, and it is one that can really help a small business.