The Office and Why You Need Call Answering Services

“Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.”

Although in the later seasons, she is replaced by Erin Hannon at reception, Pam Beesly is one of the most loved characters of The Office. Of course, your call answering service won’t be answering the phone like Pam, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a thing or two from Beesly and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin team. Via The Office, here are a few reasons why you could use call answering services. After all, would you leave the task to Dwight, Creed, or Kevin?

An In-House Receptionist Isn’t Always There

Not saying the Pam is awful at her job, but there’s definitely been a few times where she directed all calls to voicemail or ignored voicemails to help Jim with an office prank instead. Michael Scott may not seem to care about the health of his branch, but that doesn’t mean that you run your branch or company the same way. Does an in-house receptionist have that same passion and drive to keep business coming and to be the first friendly voice of the company? Maybe, but maybe not. However, with a call answering service, you don’t have to worry about missing any possible sales calls or important messages from corporate because the receptionist stepped away from the desk.

A Virtual Receptionist is Friendly in Different Ways

Granted, a virtual receptionist isn’t friendly in the way Pam is; leaving candy on her desk and greeting her coworkers as they come through the door. Albeit awesome, it’s not something that every company can have. Some businesses, like retail stores, don’t need receptionists. Others, such as e-commerce businesses and virtual office companies, don’t have a headquarters or an office that would otherwise have their own Pam or Erin. This doesn’t mean these businesses lose out on a receptionist or on someone to take calls and to work with customers. It just means that it is handled differently, like with a call answering service. A call answering service can be just as friendly as Pam, but without the face-to-face contact.

Messages are More Timely

With a call answering service, you can have messages forwarded to your personal voicemail, given to you via email, sent via text message or even faxed to you, all of  which beat getting them on pieces of paper that sit on your desk until you return. Not only is the former more timely, but it means that you can return the messages in a timelier manner as well. Granted, the only downside is that you don’t have Pam or Erin to feed an excuse when you need it most. If corporate is calling, you might have to take it before you can buy yourself some extra time.

Call Answering Services are More Scalable

In the early seasons of The Office, there were worries about downsizing and even a firing or two. Even though reception is probably safe, it’s  not fun environment to work in. Fortunately, a call answering service is much more scalable and doesn’t have to endure the office drama (or cause it in some cases). If you do need to scale back, you can do that without worrying about feelings or office morale. If you need additional help, you can much more easily find the money with a service than with adding another full-time or part-time employee.

Overall, a call answering service is very much a part of your company as an in-house receptionist is, but won’t get tangled up in office politics, office pranks, or any other distractions that can happen in The Office. We may not have a Pam or Erin on staff, but we assure you that our staff is just as fun, friendly, and effective.