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Affordable remote receptionists to answer every call

Tired of missing calls and not having someone to answer your phones?

CMS virtual receptionist services provide live call answering services so that you never have to miss another call again. You can focus on the more essential aspects of your business while our virtual receptionists take care of fielding customer inquiries. All messages will be sent directly to your email or phone, so you can stay connected with customers even when you’re not in the office.

With receptionists working 24/7, you’ll never have to worry about missing an important call again. Our live agents are always available to answer your customer’s questions and concerns. Plus, we provide a wide range of messaging options so that you can stay connected with customers no matter where you are.

Picture of a woman using her phone to leave a positive review
Virtual receptionist taking calls in a call center

Freedom and flexibility to help grow your business

You’re a busy entrepreneur with a lot on your plate. The last thing you need is to worry about answering the phones all day long.

We know you’re passionate about your business and want to help you succeed. That’s why we offer professional live virtual receptionists available 24/7 to answer your calls, schedule appointments, and handle routine phone tasks on your behalf. All you have to do is relax and focus on what you do best – running your business!

With CMS, it’s easy to customize how much or little help you want from us. We can take over all your call-handling needs or just step in when needed – it’s up to you!

Experience the CMS Difference

Virtual Receptionist Services 100% Tailored to Your Needs

CMS virtual receptionists can help take the load off of you and your team. We do that by tailoring our services to your operation. We answer every call that comes in, so you don’t have to worry about missing any important messages. Plus, we can handle a variety of tasks depending on your needs – from message taking to appointment scheduling and more.

You determine how calls are answered, what information is gathered, and the business processes we follow during and after each call. If needed, we can integrate with existing systems like web portals or online calendars or even develop custom solutions from scratch. Our goal is to function as an extension of your business.

Live Virtual Office Receptionists

You’re busy and can’t always be at your desk to answer the phone.

Without a virtual receptionist, customers are likely greeted by a recorded message. This doesn’t leave the best impression. A live person is always better.

It’s not just about missing out on potential sales opportunities- important customer service inquiries can also go unanswered. This can lead to negative word of mouth and lost business.

Our live virtual receptionists take incoming calls and respond to inquiries as if they were present in your office, acting as an extension of your business. With several virtual receptionists available, you’ll always have someone attending to calls for your business. This frees you and your employees to work on critical tasks crucial to your company’s success and bottom line without worrying whether routine calls and customer service inquiries are being addressed.

Virtual receptionist on the phone
Agents in a call center with icons that represent 24 hour service, afterhours service, and weekend availability

24/7 and After-Hours Virtual Receptionist Services

When your office staff goes home for the day, what happens to your telephone calls? Instead of sending everything to voicemail, CMS virtual receptionists answer live in the name of your business, giving your company a human touch and ensuring you always project a professional image.

Our services are 100% customizable, giving you complete control over how your business operates outside regular office hours.

Do you want your after-hours receptionists to answer the same way you do during the day? Do you need a 24-hour receptionist to screen calls and gather information for your team? Do you want to receive messages by text message instead of email? It’s all up to you.

Highly trained and able to perform various duties, our team can function as your after-hours or 24-hour secretarial staff and help run your business. Imagine seeing support requests closed, new appointments scheduled, and customer records updated in your CRM. 24-hour virtual receptionists make your life easier and allow you to get more done.

Auto Attendant and IVR

A phone system that answers and directs calls is known as an auto attendant. On the other hand, an interactive voice response (IVR) enables callers to communicate with an automated phone system through speech or by utilizing a touch-tone keypad.

An auto attendant eliminates the need for a live operator as it takes your calls and automatically transfers them to the appropriate extension or phone number. An auto attendant can also switch calls and provide callers with general information like your location or business hours.

Computerized IVR systems can connect with databases, record information, intelligently route calls, automate procedures, and supplement the usage of human virtual receptionists. As a result, modern IVR systems offer superior customer experiences while assisting businesses in cost reduction, scaling up, and implementing efficiency improvements.

Depending on your business, CMS can tailor a solution that combines live virtual receptionists and automated solutions. These systems can allow you better serve your customers while keeping costs minimum.

Image of a finger pressing the number 0 on a dial pad surrounded by icons that represent a phone tree and touchpad options
Image of a person on their smartphone surrounded by icons for calendar, phone calls, and booking revenue

Appointment Scheduling

Appointment scheduling can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, especially for busy professionals who are trying to juggle multiple commitments.

CMS virtual receptionists can help to streamline the process by handling all of the scheduling for you. We’ll work with your preferred calendar system to ensure that you’re never double-booked and screen new leads to make sure they’re a good fit for your business.

We can also book consultations or sales calls directly on your calendar, so that you can focus on more important things. Virtual receptionists can save you a lot of time and hassle and help to make sure that your appointment schedule is always under control.

With our skilled virtual assistants, appointment setting round the clock becomes a breeze. Your patients or clients can call and make an appointment with CMS receptionists at any time, day or night, according to their schedule. 

24/7/365

Availability

100%

Customizable

3,000+

Clients

99.99%

Uptime Guarantee

Benefits of Using a Virtual Receptionist

While it’s true that people depend on digital technology a lot when it comes to communication, nothing beats a virtual receptionist from CMS if you want to keep your customers, convert leads, grow your client database, and drive business profitability. We can help you:

Remain Available 24/7

A virtual receptionist can be a lifesaver if your business is open outside regular office hours. We can answer calls 24/7/365, including after hours, on weekends, and even holidays.  You will never have to worry about missing important phone calls again.

Screen Calls and Save Time

If you’re tired of getting sales calls or other unwanted calls, a virtual receptionist can help. We can screen calls for you and only forward the important ones. This can save you time and hassle and help you avoid getting bogged down with unwanted calls.

Improve Customer Service

If you have a lot of customers, you may not always have time to handle all their questions and concerns. CMS virtual assistants can help by handling customer service issues for you. This can free up your time so you can focus on other aspects of your business while keep your customers happy.

Enhance Your Brand

If you want to project a professional image for your business, having a virtual receptionist can be a big help. We can give your business a more polished and professional appearance, which can attract new customers and help you retain existing ones.

Customers Expect to Reach You By Phone — CMS Ensures You Are Always Available

Graphic with text that reads "85% of callers who don't get through to you on the first attempt won't call back and will call your competitors."

Don’t help your competition

Did you know that 61% of customers who are in the middle of the buying cycle call the business they’re interested in?5 Can you afford to lose out on valuable leads or prospective customers if you do? And can you bear the thought of them going to your competition?

At CMS, we know the rewards of consistently answering calls, as well as the consequences of ignoring or not being able to attend to other calls. One phone call can make a world of difference to your business, so we won’t be taking any chances. Neither should you.

Protect your reputation

Ever get that awful feeling when no one seems to be available to answer your calls, especially when there’s no other way to resolve your concern?

When people are made to feel ignored, you lose their loyalty. They start to question the credibility and reputation of your brand, so it’s no big mystery why 68% of customers leave a company because they think it doesn’t care.6

With CMS, you can build up your reputation and keep your customers loyal to your brand no matter what.

Graphic with text that reads "67% of people end a call in frustration when they are unable to reach customer support staff."
Graphic with text that reads "80% of callers transferred to voicemail don't leave messages."

Say goodbye to voicemail

Answering machines may have been a novelty the first time they were introduced. Today, however, voicemails are not only considered productivity killers but are also untrustworthy — that is, people assume nobody ever listens to them and that they’ll never get their problem resolved.

Besides, other than baby boomers and Gen Xers, millennials and members of Generation Z probably make up a portion of your market, so it’s useful to know these younger generations can be averse to voicemails.7

So, better not leave phone calls to chance.

Partner up with CMS and see your loyal customer base grow like never before!

Virtual Receptionists for Every Business

We have experience in every industry. From solo law offices to large physician groups, and plumbing companies to IT startups, we provide custom remote receptionist services to all types of businesses. Browse industry solutions

Small business owner working at her desk with boxes and inventory in the background

Virtual Receptionist for Small Business

Tasking employees with receptionist duties takes valuable resources away from your small business. CMS offers a virtual receptionist service for growing businesses that frees up personnel and reduces your operating cost.

Our Small Business Virtual Receptionists Can:

  • Greet callers professionally
  • Replace in-house staff
  • Transfer calls to the appropriate party
  • Take and distribute messages
  • Schedule appointments
  • Handle routine processes over the phone

A Professional Voice for a Fraction of the Cost

Hiring a full-time receptionist is expensive. You still have to pay them even when the phone isn’t ringing. Our virtual receptionist service gives your company a professional phone presence and you are only charged for the time we work for you.

More than Just an Answering Service

Virtual receptionists do more than just answer the phone. The trained customer service professionals at CMS can provide a wide array of receptionist duties for your growing business. From transferring calls to scheduling appointments, we are here to help your business run smoothly and efficiently.

Physician sitting at his desk looking at his phone

Virtual Receptionist for Medical Offices

Friendly, competent customer care… because you care about your patients. So do we.

Modern medical practice is about efficiency and cost-effectiveness without compromising on quality service. Advancements in digital and communications technology and recent lockdowns have shown that an on-site receptionist is no longer necessary. With the CMS elite virtual receptionist service, you can save resources, ensure HIPAA compliance, and provide top-notch coverage for all your patients’ needs. 

What Does a Virtual Medical Receptionist Do?

Traditionally, the receptionist has been the primary point of contact for your practice. They field telephone calls, answer or direct queries, and do various administrative tasks. So what can a virtual medical receptionist do for you, then? Well, pretty much everything.

This includes:

  • Liasing with patients and improving patient engagement
  • Patient billing and insurance claims
  • Recordkeeping and information management
  • Appointment scheduling
  • Emergency call screening and on-call relay

With over 50 years of experience in the healthcare industry, CMS is your source for friendly, professional, quality virtual receptionists for your medical office.

Property Management Virtual Receptionist

To reduce costs, many property management offices call on managers to answer the phone. With these same managers responsible for meeting with prospective tenants, showing properties, doing paperwork, and coordinating with maintenance staff, it’s understandable that some calls go unanswered.

Instead of relying on voicemail or forcing people to call back, our property management virtual receptionist can fill in for your office staff and answer calls that would normally be missed. With our skilled receptionists answering on your behalf, you provide callers with excellent customer service and ensure you never miss an opportunity or maintenance request.

While the apartment complex down the street relies on voicemail, potential tenants calling your office will always reach a live person. This advantage will result in higher occupancy rates and higher revenue.

IT network engineers troubleshooting in a data center

IT Answering Service

No matter the business, information technology plays a key role in process efficiency and data security.

Whether it’s a minor IT problem or a major issue, when IT-related issues arise, customers can get frustrated easily. They get even more upset and anxious when they are unable to speak with a live person.

If you want calls to be handled with utmost care and minor issues managed professionally, you can depend on CMS IT answering services, much like your external IT department.

We’ll take care of consumer inquiries and repair requests while you continue to work on higher-level tasks. We’ll handle a range of tasks, including the creation of work tickets, staffing your 24-hour helpdesk, Tier 1 troubleshooting, on-call help, escalations, and more.

With our team and without necessarily adding more people, CMS makes sure that your company is able to deliver excellent customer service in less time and at a lower cost.

Attorney on the phone at her desk

Virtual Receptionist for Lawyers

Busy attorneys need help managing their phone calls, and our virtual receptionist service is the perfect solution. Answering in your firm’s name, we help you maintain a polished image without adding to your costs or distractions.

Perfect for lean law firms

Hiring someone to take calls in your law office is wasteful, not to mention burdensome. There are countless costs associated with having employees, including the time spent training and managing them. Our attorney virtual receptionist service provides a better way.

Always a live voice

Trying to avoid the costs of hiring a receptionist or dealing with office staff, some attorneys resort to sending all of their calls to voicemail when they are out of the office. This unprofessional practice harms existing relationships and loses new cases as potential referrals move on to competitors.

By utilizing our virtual receptionists, all your calls will be answered by a live person, regardless of the time of day. Whether you’re utilizing our service for all your calls during the day or after hours, you can rest assured that everyone trying to reach you can do so.

Tailored to your practice

Our attorney virtual receptionist service is not a one size fits all solution. Each account is customized to your needs, including scripting for different types of calls and options for delivering messages and routing calls. Would you like all calls from the courthouse patched to your cell phone during the day with other messages sent via text? That isn’t a problem at all. We can filter out specific calls and accurately differentiate current clients from new ones, urgent matters from non-urgent, and official business from unofficial.

Integrate Your Existing Systems

We can integrate our answering service with the tools you use daily, making your life easier by streamlining workflows and keeping data synced across applications.

Image of some of the top software applications that CMS integrates with, including Slack, Paycor, ADP, Salesforce, Zendesk, Autotask, Halo PSA, Kronos, Zoho, and Workday
Image of some of the top software applications that CMS integrates with, including Slack, Paycor, ADP, Salesforce, Zendesk, Autotask, Halo PSA, Kronos, Zoho, and Workday

Meet Your Customers’ Needs While Limiting Costs

Virtual receptionist services from CMS allow your company to expand comfortably without the wasteful overhead associated with hiring a full-time receptionist. You are only charged for the time CMS virtual assistants work for your business. Our live call center agents work as an extension of your company, answering incoming calls as if they are sitting in your office.

Protect Your Business by Avoiding Downtime

Losing the ability to communicate with your customers for even one day can be crippling to a business. If you lose your power or telephone system, have a weather emergency, or experience a natural disaster, our call center and virtual assistants will be available. Your business needs to be prepared for the worst. Every call is recorded and time-stamped, so you know exactly when each call comes in and when your personnel respond to each page, text message, or email.

Organize All of Your Communication Under One Roof

Virtual receptionists can handle the communication needs of multiple locations from one virtual headquarters, giving your business the organization and uniformity it needs to run efficiently. You don’t have to worry about your clients calling the correct location. Instead use one telephone number to service all of your offices. This is an added convenience for your customers.

CMS is a Partner that Gets Your Business

Today’s highly competitive business landscape requires owners to make strategic decisions to ensure their brand remains relevant for years to come.

Every business needs to provide a top-notch customer experience.

People calling in want quick responses and efficient solutions. If your business doesn’t meet these needs, your customers can switch to your competitor.

However, you don’t need to lose customers even when working on a budget.

With CMS call answering services, you’ll benefit in the following ways:

Customized and Personalized Solutions

Working with CMS means having the professional representation you need to make a good impression on prospects and customers.

Whether you need help with 24/7 support, call dispatching, customer service,  appointment scheduling, or everything at once, CMS can tailor a solution that fits your purpose and budget.

Consider CMS as an extension of your office where everything can be personalized, from the scripting and instructions we use to patch calls, take messages, and notify you of calls to the number of people representing your business through voice calls.

Useful Tools & Technology

Call analytics and web-based dashboards help you stay on top of everything happening with your calls. You can even use on-call scheduling software to manage your on-call schedule anytime.

We can also enable seamless integrations with your business software or your CRM, so you can perform tasks like call data management and analysis using your tools.

Here to Make Your Business Money

Our function at CMS is to increase your company’s revenue. We do this by providing highly trained, professional virtual receptionists able to serve the needs of your customers.

Trusted Company Since 1967

CMS has been around since 1967 — over five decades of industry experience and expertise.

It’s no wonder we’re one of the most respected answering services in the United States and have been providing thousands of companies with virtual answering services and more.

FAQs

What is a virtual receptionist? 

A virtual receptionist is a remote call answering service that provides live, human customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Virtual receptionists are trained to handle your inbound calls professionally and courteously, just like a traditional receptionist.

In addition to answering calls, virtual receptionists can also provide other services such as appointment scheduling, order taking, customer service, and even lead generation. Virtual receptionists are a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes that need someone to answer their calls when they can’t.

A virtual receptionist is a perfect solution if you’re looking for a reliable, 24/7 answering service.

How much does a virtual receptionist service cost?

Virtual receptionists are typically priced per minute, and you are only billed for the time you use. This can be a significant saving compared to hiring an employee to handle receptionist duties.

Of course, the cost of a virtual receptionist will vary depending on the services you require. But in general, a virtual receptionist can be a cost-effective solution for your business. We have plans starting at just $50 per month.

Compare this to the cost of hiring an hourly or salaried employee. In the U.S., the average hourly rate for a receptionist is $15.50. If you need someone available 40 hours per week, you’re looking at a cost of over $2,480 per month. And this doesn’t even include the cost of benefits like health insurance and vacation time.

Related Resources

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Sources

  1. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/how-companies-can-improve-phone-call-pickup-rates-2021-1
  2. https://phmg.com/blog/research-reveals-telephone-remains-customers-preferred-method-of-contact/
  3. https://www.mactech.com/2022/03/03/research-reveals-consumers-and-businesses-prefer-voice-calls-to-text-or-email/
  4. https://d1eipm3vz40hy0.cloudfront.net/pdf/cxtrends/cx-trends-2020-full-report.pdf
  5. https://hbr.org/2017/07/your-customers-still-want-to-talk-to-a-human-being
  6. https://ecommco.com/blog/68-percent-believe-you-dont-care.html
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/fashion/millennials-shy-away-from-voice-mail.html