This is the age old question from 20, 30 and even 40 years ago. Those who answer calls themselves are convinced this is the only way to go. ( and it's usually after having a very bad experience with an answering service or taking the advice fom a business associate who had a bad experience)
Those that have found a reliable answering service are very happy that no call will ever reach voice mail and think having an answering service is as good or better than having to hire an assistant, even a part time one. It is about what works best for you and can you find a reliable answering service / virtual assistant that can represent your brand ( which in most cases is YOU )
Can someone else represent YOU as well as you ? Not on your life. If you are goign to investigate answering service you will most certainly want to look at those vendors that may not be the cheapest. The whole you get what you pay for is very true.
An answering service should be able to capture all information you need - name - address - e-mail address - caller ID - Source - property they are interested in etc.
An answering service should also be able to follow specific instructions for specific call types as well as instructions when specific people call.
As a sales person for an answering service, no i am not posting my url or other info about it, i have all my calls patched / direct connected to me. My staff has collected the info from the caller and put the call through and then i get all the info texted to my cell phone. Answering Services were the 1st and still the best Voice to Text solution. A message like "Hi this is Bob call me back" is still a bad and nearly worthless message, even if your voice mail sends it by text to your cell.
A good and even great solution is out there and available for everyone. It may take time and it may take some tweeking and you may even switch from one to the other and back again as your needs change. It is about what you feel comfortable with as well as, and probably more important, what makes your customers comfortable doing business with you.
All the best for your continued success
