Does your nonprofit struggle to keep up with staffing needs, the demands of changing technology, project deadlines, and phones that won’t stop ringing?
Help is closer than you think when you consider the benefits a nonprofit call center or fundraising call center will provide when you need help answering your telephone calls.
The Cost of Unanswered Calls
Did you know unanswered or missed calls cost money and reduce overall customer satisfaction? Research shows nearly 26% of calls never get answered. That’s a third of your current and potential customers’ calls going unanswered, which can damage your company’s image, brand, and revenue.
According to the publication, Consumer Reports, 75% of consumers said they are highly annoyed when they cannot get a live person on the phone at a business. According to research, about 70% of customers will stop working with an organization whose customer service they see as lacking.
When customers or even prospective customers call companies during regular business hours, they generally expect the call will be answered. If the call cannot be answered right away, most consumers expect, at the very least, to be directed to a way to get the help they are seeking. And while this is especially true for business consumers who depend on essential services, it applies across the board, no matter what category of products or services the business might offer.
Enhancing Your Communications is Easy
That’s what makes a telephone answering service, which receives incoming calls on your nonprofit’s behalf, essential to maximizing your communications, streamlining your workflow, and increasing your donations.
A nonprofit call center telephone answering service provides you with professional, highly trained agents who will get to know your nonprofit on a personal level, and function as an extension of your team. Nonprofits and businesses of all sizes are gaining the benefits of this convenient service.
Here are seven reasons you should consider using a fundraising call center or a nonprofit call center.
7 Reasons to Use a Fundraising Nonprofit Call Center
1. Make Every Opportunity Count
When you partner with a nonprofit call center for your telephone answering service, you’ll never miss a call. However, if a call is answered by a professional agent with years of experience and relevant industry knowledge, this reflects in a positive way for your nonprofit.
2. Enhance Productivity
Each call is an opportunity to provide excellent customer service and increase donations. Everyone knows answering the phone can be an inconvenient distraction at times. And for a nonprofit, interruptions can be a major issue, especially when you’re working on a big project.
According to recent research, it takes people 24 minutes and 15 seconds to re-focus following an interruption. A nonprofit call center takes messages when you’re unavailable or when you’re working on projects and can’t be interrupted.
3. 24/7/365 Customer Service
Excellent customer service is a must for nonprofits. A 24/7/365 nonprofit call center telephone answering service gives you a dedicated team of friendly professionals who know you and your nonprofit inside and out. They provide the personal touch that means so much to your donors.
In addition, a 24/7/365 fundraising call center is important if you serve an international market. If you’re communicating with people in different time zones, it is important to provide a 24/7/365 point of contact. Having a real person ready to answer your calls, even when the physical office is closed, will enhance your reputation.
It is also important to have highly trained call center agents who know how to answer the phone professionally, are multilingual, and can speak the language of the caller’s choice. You won’t have to worry about a language barrier when you select the right telephone answering service.
4. Reduce Overhead Costs
When you hire an in-house team to manage your calls, it can be expensive and time-consuming. The expenses add up when you hire new people, train them, offer benefits, and buy the necessary equipment.
According to Salary.com, the average Receptionist I salary in the United States is $37,766 as of February 27, 2023. The range typically falls between $33,720 and $42,760. Phone answering services cost a fraction of this amount.
5. Maintaining Your Brand’s Image
Whether you are a large or small nonprofit, a telephone answering service can be the foundation you need for strong client relationships. It also helps maintain a professional image. Your relationship with your donors or volunteers begins as soon as the call is answered.
When you have a professional agent who’s always available, it will make all the difference when it comes to first impressions and your image.
6. Book Appointments
Many telephone answering services can also do other tasks. Appointment setting can save you time and get your meetings set for important face-to-face conversations or phone calls when you need to stay on schedule. The right appointment-setting firm can increase the number of times your team gets in front of a potential donor.
7. Lower Costs
Although it varies from provider to provider, as a rule, you won’t need to sign any contract and you can monitor spending by paying a fixed monthly rate, or a pay-as-you-go system, so you’ll never receive any unexpected bills.
Explore Your Options With AnswerNet
Nonprofits and charities rely on volunteers and contributions to support their organization. They need a cost-effective call center that not only can answer inbound calls from donors, supporters and others, but can also make outbound calls to drive donations and support fundraisers.
AnswerNet provides cost-effective, customized inbound and outbound contact center solutions for nonprofit organizations. We will help you maintain your budgets, while increasing your nonprofit’s brand awareness and initiatives.
We understand the importance of maintaining your charitable brand with professionalism. Our agents will support your nonprofit’s vision, ensuring that all calls are handled with care – whether for inbound fundraising or telethons, or for general assistance with the backline of your office.
Our nonprofit answering services are available 24/7/365, so we can handle calls from anywhere and at any time.
Nonprofit Answering Services
What are you waiting for? AnswerNet’s turnaround time for services is quick. In less than a week, our agents can efficiently manage your donor support, telefundraising, radiothons, and more.
Our agents are trained to respond to incoming emails and calls, to ensure all donation information is captured accurately, and nurture relationships to increase donor retention.
AnswerNet’s professionally trained agents handle incoming calls to your specifications – day or night. With 30 contact centers throughout the U.S. and Canada, our multilingual agents are ready to make a difference for your nonprofit now.
Through high-touch service anytime and any way, we connect your donor’s passion with your mission. Our donor engagement and retention strategies are proven to deliver on your mission and business goals.
All of our programs are based on four basic principles that donors want: make it easy, add value, personalize it, and provide access anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Contact AnswerNet today.
