South African Outsourcers Providing Virtual Reception & Call Answering Services
With Customer Experience (CX) becoming increasingly critical to surviving in a competitive marketplace, you want to make sure you provide the best first impression when a customer tries to contact your business.
And that starts by having the phone answered!
According to the Australian Call Centre Rankings, published monthly, some industry sectors fail to answer approximately 40% of phone calls for new business opportunities—it's just a wasted opportunity that not only loses revenue but also damages reputation.
And when it comes to small businesses, the outlook isn't any better.
Virtual Reception and call Answering Services in South Africa can be known by several names, including phone answering, call answering, answering service, message taking, virtual reception, virtual receptionist, virtual headquarters, etc., which essentially refer to the same thing.
The virtual receptionist and message-taking service providers in South Africa below offer a range of services that, in short, make sure your Australian customers receive a professional experience when contacting your business, with savings of at least 35%.
Regardless of the name, the providers of Virtual Reception & Call Answering Services in South Africa can answer the phone using your business name e.g. "Welcome to <your company> this is Emily, how can I help you today?" and then depending on your requirements, they can offer a range of services, including:
- Take a message and forward it to your nominated contact, typically via email or SMS.
- Transfer the call to a nominated contact.
- Capture the details required and enter them into a database.
- Answer questions of varying complexity.
How Much Does Call Answering Services in South Africa Cost?
It's hard to provide a clear answer as suppliers of Virtual Receptionist and call Answering Services in South Africa use a range of different commercial models.
Pricing varies based on the expected number of calls, what you need the provider to do on each call, whether you need 24/7 or standard business hours, and so on.
Location can also play a big role in pricing, and with the high cost of labour in Australia, we are undoubtedly the most expensive option.
Using a partner in South Africa may be a viable solution by offering lower rates that are at least 35% lower than an on-shore (within Australia) solution.
Ultimately, which location is right for your business is something only you can decide - you can learn more about the benefits of call centre outsourcing locations >
Are There Minimum Call Volumes?
Yes, there can be minimum call volume requirements when engaging a virtual receptionist and call answering services provider in South Africa.
However, there are phone answering providers who specialise in different models, including after-hours solutions, overflow solutions, on-call solutions, and more.
As a rule, most of the large call centre outsourcers aren't typically interested in taking on low call volumes. However, there are several suppliers who specialise in taking the odd random call through to having dedicated agents answering calls exclusively for your business.
To be profitable, call centre agents are typically expected to answer calls for a variety of businesses. The technology used by the virtual reception providers advises the call centre agent on how to answer the phone and what to do.
The challenge for the phone answering providers is always trying to balance the expected number of calls to keep the call centre agents busy - if a call centre agent is sitting at their desk and not taking calls, they aren't making money, but if too many calls come in, it can lead to longer wait times which equals unhappy customers.
Learn more about the common commercial models used by phone answering businesses >
Key Requirements to Engage a Phone Answering Provider in South Africa
If you are thinking of engaging a Virtual Receptionist & Call Answering Services in South Africa to answer your calls or take messages for your business, there are some key elements you will need to know:
- The expected number of calls per day/week/month.
- How that traffic normally comes in (e.g. if you have a TV ad you might get a big surge after the ad, there might be peak periods during the day or perhaps your calls are just spread out throughout the day/night)
- What you want the phone answering provider to do when they answer the call (provide information, just take a message, perform an action, etc).
- Any scripts or instructions you expect them to follow.
- Any technology you would need them to integrate with.
How to Choose a Call-Answering Provider in South Africa
It can be confusing trying to find the right phone answering provider for your Australian business and/or the right commercial model for your business.
Simply scroll through the list below and contact the providers of Virtual Receptionist & Call Answering Services in South Africa directly and they will be more than happy to provide you with a quote.
Alternatively, you can use our free call centre outsourcing wizard, which will provide you with a recommended shortlist of the best suppliers tailored to your requirements, saving you time, money and frustration.
Search Suppliers of Phone Call Answering Services in South Africa
Scroll below for suppliers of virtual reception and call answering services in South Africa, or use the search filters to find suppliers in other countries or by other outsourcing functions.
You may also be interested in searching for the South African suppliers of After Hours & 24/7 solutions.
