A new customer rarely leaves a message: they call the next business. Four alternatives to your voicemail, what they cost and who they suit.
Key takeaways
- A voicemail mostly helps callers who already know you
- Forwarding to your mobile only moves the problem
- An answering service takes a message; an AI receptionist deals with it
- Start small: let the replacement answer only when you can't
Short answer: a voicemail works for callers who already know you, but a new customer rarely leaves a message: they call the next name on their list. If you don't want to lose those callers, replace your voicemail with something that takes the call. There are four common alternatives, from free to a fixed monthly fee.
Why doesn't voicemail work for new customers anymore?
A regular customer leaves a calm message and knows you'll call back. A new customer with three installers or hairdressers lined up hangs up at the beep and tries the next one. Whoever answers first gets the appointment. So the problem isn't the voicemail itself, but that nobody is there to take the question at that moment.
Alternative 1: forwarding to your mobile
Free or almost free, and quickly arranged. But it only moves the problem: if you're under a car, cutting hair or with a customer, you won't answer your mobile either. It works if you usually can answer, just not at your desk.
Alternative 2: an answering service
A person always answers, and some callers appreciate that. You pay per call, usually with a monthly fee on top. The operator knows your business only from a script: they take a message, but rarely book an appointment or answer a real question. So you still have to call back.
Alternative 3: a callback request on your website
Free if your website supports it. It helps visitors who are on your site anyway, but not the caller on the line right now. It's an addition, not a replacement.
Alternative 4: an AI receptionist
It answers every call, including in the evening and at weekends, and even when three people call at once. It answers questions from your knowledge base, books appointments in your calendar, and takes a callback request with name, number and subject when it really needs to be you. At ClientAssist that costs €99 a month plus the minutes it spends on calls, from €0.35 per minute. At the start it honestly says it is an AI.
Which alternative suits you?
- You can usually answer, just not always at your desk: forwarding to your mobile.
- Few calls, and callers need to hear a person: an answering service.
- Many missed calls, appointments and the same questions: an AI receptionist.
You can read the costs of an answering service, an AI receptionist and your own employee side by side, with figures, in our comparison.
How do you switch without risk?
Start with forwarding when unanswered. Your phone rings with you first; if you don't pick up, the replacement takes over instead of your voicemail. Within a few days you'll notice how many calls you used to let go. At ClientAssist you're usually live within 48 hours, and if you're not happy in the first 30 days, you get the fixed monthly fees back.
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