Can my virtual assistant receive inbound calls?

Want to hire a virtual assistant who can receive and answer inbound calls?

No problem! Our affordable virtual assistants from Latin America can receive inbound calls on your behalf.

First, keep in mind that you get to decide what you’d like your virtual assistant to do and how they work – so the possibilities are endless of what your assistant can do.

Learn more: How it works to hire from the Virtual Latinos Agency

Details of how virtual assistants can answer inbound calls

You’ll always have the freedom to choose what you’d like your virtual assistant to do.

You’ll also have full flexibility to manage and oversee their work, which gives you the full control to tell your virtual assistant how and what you’d like them to do for you or your business – including receiving inbound calls and answering on your behalf.

How to set up your virtual assistant to receive inbound calls

We recommend the following steps, but you’re free to change the steps as you see fit.

1. Sign-up for software that allows your assistants to make inbound calls

• This should include a Voice over-IP (VoIP) system to receive calls from the United States or Canada using their computer.
• Take a look at Skype’s Phone Numbers, AirCall, Dialpad, or Grasshopper.
• Learn more: Compare 5 Virtual Phone Systems on Zapier

2. Get a new local phone number or connect your existing number

• This helps ensure your clients can continue to call your company’s existing number or a new local number – even if your assistant in Latin America will answer the calls.
• You can usually choose an 800 phone number or one with your local US area code.
• Assistants in Latin America would be able to receive and answer calls using their computers.

3. Learn how to use the technology and virtual phone system you’ve chosen

• Don’t expect your assistant to know how to use every software there is out there – nor the one you chose.
• Your virtual assistant may or may not have experience using a virtual phone system, but they’ll usually be happy to learn how to use anything.
• We recommend that you invest some time to learn how to use your new inbound system yourself, so you can teach your assistant(s) how to use it.
• Don’t have time to learn? No problem, your assistant can learn and teach himself or herself. You can ask your assistant to invest some of their work hours in learning everything about your new inbound calls system.  Be sure to be patient, as anything new takes time to learn.
• Keep in mind that Virtual Latinos assistants don’t work from a call center, and each of them has a different experience working remotely.

4. Train your virtual assistant on receiving inbound calls

• Once you understand how your new inbound telephone system works, it’s time to teach your assistant how to use it.
• Be sure that you make a few test calls to ensure that the calls work as you expect them to.
• Check for call quality, the time it takes for the call to be received by the assistant, and the overall call experience.

5. Define the process for how your virtual assistant should receive calls

• Every entrepreneur, business, or professional has a different way to answer the phone, route calls, and decide how to answer questions.
• We recommend that you write down what your ideal inbound call process should look like. Open up a Google Drive or Word document and spend some time writing down a shortlist of the steps you’d like your virtual assistant to follow when making receiving a call on your behalf.
• Learn more: Hubspot’s inbound call strategy