Free 14 Day Trial To PatLive’s Answering Service For Clever Leverage Readers (coupon code link below)
PatLive has offered us a free trial now for Clever Leverage readers. When I first started looking in to live answering services for my business phone lines, I was hesitant to sign up for anything expensive because I feared what I’d be getting myself into. It’s nice to be able to test everything out for two weeks before committing… and then if it is a good fit, everything is set to go.
PATLive, the Answering Service
PATLive has come a long way from a humble voice company in 1990, to a leading answering service in the 21st century. PATLive’s agents are 24/7 virtual receptionists to a number of small and medium-sized companies in the real estate, legal, medical and other professional services industries. They have an enviable team of US-based live receptionists, who are capable of handling calls intelligently and responsibly. The PATLive team understands business, and is well trained to attend to calls in a manner that helps capture crucial lead information and transfer it to the company that hires their service. All of this is done through integrated systems and that cater to your company around the clock. This makes them one of the most sought-after service providers in the field.
Services They Offer
- Virtual Receptionist: PATLive agents answer clients’ calls like receptionists would do from an office but for a lot less money.
- Message Taking: These agents also double up as personal assistants for taking messages.
- Lead Collection: They keep a detailed account of leads captured virtually because they are available 24/7 and enter data as and when it comes in.
- Appointment Scheduling: PATLive agents also use a web-based calendar service to book appointments.
- Order Processing: They are also able to process transactions (using credit card details) over the web-based ordering portal.
- Event Registrations: They coordinate and manage attendee registration and calls in case of corporate events the company may be hosting.
- After Hours/Lunch Coverage: In case the staff is out for lunch or after work, the calls are transferred to the PATLive agents and they never go to voicemail.
- Overflow Calls: If the office staff is busy on a call, the calls that follow are automatically forwarded to these agents to attend to.
- Call Transfers: In case callers need to speak to a person within the office, the agents are able to transfer the call via the system to the person concerned.
System Features
While on call, the PATLive agent directly enters the lead information into the CRM. As soon as the call is completed, the client receives an email notification with lead information captured in the CRM. PATLive can even add additional virtual numbers for only $5 per month, so you can forward all your Google Voice Numbers to PATLive.
By way of its services, PATLive offers the following system-related features to its clients –
- Integrated CRMs
- Scheduling software
- Live call transfers
- Custom call handling feature
- Call summaries via SMS and email
- Lead collection
- Payment collection
Setup Fees and Free Trial Period
There is no setup fee involved in availing of PATLive’s service. They offer a 14-day free trial for virtual receptionists to be exposed to a range of calls the business receives. The client can then gauge if the agents are capable of handling the different scenarios they are likely to come across. It could be anything from a new prospect inquiring about basic details to an existing client who needs to speak with a point of contact within the client office and needs to be transferred urgently.
Quality Service
When comparing live answering services, you need to look for details and features with the most impact on business. The client could be paying for each minute but if the receptionist is spending additional time on wrong numbers, spam calls and salespeople advertising a product, then that is a loss for the businesses that hire the answering service. If you are running a marketing campaign which is gathering traction and leading to prospective customers calling then a business cannot afford to not have those calls convert. A fair amount of money is spent on these marketing activities and if what follows is not suitably capitalized on, then that is simply a waste of an opportunity.
At times like these, the virtual receptionist’s ability to gauge a serious lead from one that is simply fishing becomes important. PATLive covers all of these bases with a team of over 125 employees that have significant experience in addressing these challenges real-time and that too across multiple industries. Over a period of 30 years in the business, PATLive has developed the know-how required to cater to businesses that need an answering service with 24/7 coverage and the capability to provide quality services that could potentially impact revenues.
Monthly Plans/Surplus Costs
PATLive has a number of monthly plans that have been devised based on the call volume. These include:
- $149 for 75 live agent minutes + $1.50 per additional minute
- $269 for 200 minutes + $1.25 per additional minute
- $399 for 350 minutes + $1.10 per additional minute
- $629 for 600 minutes + $1.00 per additional minute
- $999 for 1,000 minutes + $0.95 per additional minute
Why PATLive?
With many answering services in the mix, the right option for your business may often be both confusing and daunting. Read on to know why PATLive leads the pack.
Constant and Consistent Coverage
The ability to provide 24/7 coverage, 365 days of the year is what makes a service such as PATLive a dream come true. Many businesses have resorted to using this uninterrupted service as their primary business line. For those with restricted budgets, PATLive serves well for lunch and after hour calls, once the office staff has left and the phones are unattended. This will prevent any call from going to voicemail. This service is especially useful for businesses that have certain peak seasons when the work pressure is a lot and the staff is hard pressed for time. It works as an efficient solution to handle calls when the office needs consistent coverage even if it is for a select period of time.
Bilingual Capability
Statistics show that a considerable portion of the US population (over 41 million) speak only Spanish whereas approximately 12 million residents speak both English and Spanish. PATLive offers a service that caters to Spanish callers in addition to the larger numbers in English. This service is especially useful for businesses that operate in the states of California, Florida and others that have a large number of Spanish-speaking residents. The bilingual feature can be added to any monthly package with a flat fee of $20/month. These receptionists are available from 8 am to 11 pm EST each day. You can make a special request for a bilingual receptionist if your business has the need for one.
Scripting Service
The PATLive service comes with an additional feature which involves working on a script for every client based on their specific business needs. Once you sign up with PATLive, at the time of onboarding, you can meet with their in-house scripting team to pre-decide the content, tonality, manner of handling leads, billing and processing payments. The idea is to get a good understanding of the requirements and ensuring you agree with the course of action planned by the PATLive team.
Integrated CRM
PATLive offers comprehensive services that go above and beyond attending calls. Virtual Receptionists enter information collected over the duration of the call into the client system. This is the first step towards triggering the sales process. This is possible across web-based client management software.
Transfer of Phone Numbers
You have two options in this regard — you can either forward your current line to or get a brand new number to divert the calls from your personal phone and smoothly transition them onto the PATLive network.
Team PATLive
The PATLive team of virtual receptionists is carefully curated. The company has a very low acceptance rate of applicants followed by a stringent training program to bring them up to speed with the expectations of a PATLive agent. The agents are well-rounded individuals who are both personable, professional and eager to provide the best service possible to the clients who trust them with this critical operating service of their business.
Customized and Cost Effective
If you do not wish to avail of the app service or online reporting, you can opt for a monthly plan that is much lower (as little as $99 per month). This also does not include any contracts or fee for onboarding.
A Viable Offering
If you have been thinking about using an answering service and the cost involved has been holding you back, wait no more. The PATLive service provides an efficient and enhanced service to your customers and leads, ensuring you more than recover the cost you spare to hire this answering service. Completely worth it.