OUTSOURCING
In-house or outsourced? I
Sheila Manchester looks at how you could improve your efficiency.
n a perfect world, business owners would have a full complement of staff, each with their own duties to properly utilise their skills to build
a healthy business. Unless you are incredibly lucky, or you live in a parallel universe, you will have noticed that we do not live in a perfect world. Boom times are a misty memory, we don’t know if where we are now is as good as it’s going to get, but we can safely reckon that it might be tough for another few years. In spite of that you may still want to
expand, but you may not want a building full of staff. It’s time to explore the growing band of angels who could help you build your business by doing the ‘back office’ tasks while you get on with the more entertaining challenges, like selling, or letting, or holding auctions. These service providers have the
knowledge, skills, systems, facilities and qualifications to ensure that all the jobs are done properly. This is a vital consideration, if you are understaffed potential hazards range from missing business because you can’t take all the calls, to losing your entire business by making a serious mistake on the administration of legal documents.
WHERE TO START
The first impression a business gives is the way a ‘phone call is answered. If that impression is bad, or unhelpful, you can lose the client. When Moneypenny launched in 2000 it was the first answering service that offered staff who didn’t sound like robots; they didn’t just take a message but actually got the message. The founders, Ed Reeves and Sarah Clacher were frustrated with the services on offer and wanted to offer ‘real people’ with a real understanding of their client’s needs and those of the client’s customers. Users have a dedicated assistant, rather
than the ‘next available operator’; they answer calls in their branch whenever they can. When they’re particularly busy, or when staffing levels are low, calls are routed seamlessly to their own Moneypenny PA.
If you are understaffed,
the hazards range from missing business to losing it altogether because of a legal error.’
Joanna Swash, Director, Moneypenny,
says, “Fully briefed by the agency, your Moneypenny PA looks after overflow calls in your company name and sends detailed messages back to the office”. No calls are missed and customer service is improved. Even when the agency is closed, the Moneypenny PA can answer your phones, offering longer ‘opening’ hours. Far from receiving the message, ‘your call
is held in a queue…’ or ‘I’ll pass the message on’ the dedicated assistant can fulfil as detailed a brief as you care to give her. Some agents share their diary with Moneypenny, enabling an intelligent
response and a clear service message. Simon Bradbury, Director of Fine &
Country, Cambridge, says, “Fine & Country takes a very professional approach, ensuring the telephone is answered effectively at all times is business-critical. “No one could have predicted how
perfectly Moneypenny would fit with the way we run our agency. Jess, our Moneypenny Receptionist, is on hand to answer engaged or unanswered calls and sends messages to us via email. “With evening and weekend cover, such
attentive service doesn’t go unnoticed by our clients.”
PROPERTYdrum AUGUST 2012 29
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