What Are The Pros And Cons Of A Live Virtual Receptionist?

The growth of virtual assistance technologies, such as Alexa and Google Assist, coincides with the rise of virtual receptionists. Digital assistants are now popular in many industries. The global virtual assistance industry had a market value of $800 million in 2015. In addition, it is estimated that the sector will experience a 34.9% growth rate by 2024, with the industry hitting a projected market size of over $7.5 billion.

Another predicted development in the virtual assistance sector is the rise in the number of players. As people get used to communicating with and talking to computers, you should expect more and more businesses to make their own offerings. For example major VoIP providers such as Vonage provide virtual receptionist services.

Pros

One of the greatest draws on virtual assistance is the cost savings companies can produce. Due to a variety of factors, a live virtual assistant appears to cost much less than the conventional alternative. For instance, a live virtual assistant is paid for the amount of hours they actually work to answer calls that can be scaled to suit your needs. With the typical full-time in-house assistant, they are paid a full-time wage despite the amount of calls they answer.

With automatic and live assistance, you stop spending a certain amount of benefits and paying for the overhead to accommodate an assistant. By deploying an automated assistant named Olivia Greet, Sysix Technologies has decreased their receptionist costs by as much as 73 per cent.

Since automated virtual assistants can operate continuously, they can answer calls that would otherwise have been missed. Adriana Lopez, a Forbes contributor, reports that 80 percent of a caller sent to a voice does not leave a message.

Digital assistants are improving productivity. Delegating a call-response to a virtual assistant allows companies to manage a much greater number of calls. This helps companies to concentrate on their key jobs.

A virtual assistant may also enhance the professional image and brand of an organization. As businesses respond to the advanced automation system and qualified professionals, consumers and clients believe that the business is more professional.

Cons

Cost is a significant advantage that businesses will reap from the use of virtual assistants. However this can also be an issue, particularly for smaller businesses, which can do just fine without one. Given that the cost of virtual assistance varies from $1.25 per minute to $2.59 per minute, it may be expensive for small businesses.

There is also a chance of disappointment with the consumer. Market Reports study reveals that the most popular customer service issue in the U.S. is unable to contact a human being.

There is a possibility that there will be no flexibility. Remote Virtual Assistants primarily run a series of scripted responses. In addition, they can lack intricate business expertise to resolve those problems and issues. The lack of versatility is aggravated by the inherent rigidity of automated virtual assistants. They work with and have pre-programmed menu choices.

Finally, you need to realize that a virtual assistant can only perform minimal functions, such as answering phone calls. They cannot perform the duties that a typical receptionist would perform; they cannot file paperwork, sort or accept live guests.