Virtual assistant
You are in a meeting, on-site, in the car, or you are finally trying to work concentratedly. Your phone rings. What do you do? Do you answer it? Or do you keep working focused... Just this thought process makes you put your work down and lose valuable minutes.
A virtual assistant is the solution to solve this problem. A virtual assistant handles all your calls, without you needing to hire extra staff for it. Only calls that truly need your attention will reach you.
On this page, I will explain what a virtual assistant is, which tasks they can take over, what the benefits are, and how you can implement it concretely with various examples.
What is a virtual assistant
Let's start at the beginning, because what is a virtual assistant actually? In our opinion, there are two variants:
- A human VA who performs administrative tasks remotely.
- A digital assistant who conducts conversations via voice or chat and automates tasks.
At HeyFred, we focus entirely on the digital variant : an AI assistant that answers phone calls and responds in natural language. We use speech recognition and artificial intelligence to help your customers immediately, or to gather information and subsequently forward it.
Think of it as a receptionist or telephone operator, but scalable. A virtual assistant can conduct dozens of conversations simultaneously, can be available 24 hours a day, takes no breaks, and works on weekends and during holidays.
What can a virtual assistant do in practice
A good virtual assistant is more than an upgraded voicemail. Below you will find three core values of a good virtual assistant:
Answering questions
Many conversations revolve around simple questions that you hear more than once. Think of questions about opening hours, prices, location, delivery time, etc. A virtual assistant can answer these questions directly in a natural way, so you don't have to engage in these conversations anymore. This can be done by phone or via WhatsApp.
Automating
Imagine someone calling to make an appointment, place a reservation, or wants to change or cancel one? Because our virtual assistant can communicate with more than 250 external programs , you can automate all your processes.
Transfer or call back
If a question is too complex or requires really personal attention, the virtual assistant can transfer the call (warm or cold) or ensure that a callback request is created. You will then receive a conversation report so you can call your customer back well-prepared.
Why a virtual assistant helps
Always reachable, even outside office hours
Customers are critical and demand flexibility. They want to be able to call or message at any time. Making a reservation in the morning or sending a message in the evening when a question comes to mind. Your virtual assistant handles that 24/7, ensuring your customer is always directly assisted.
Low Costs
Hiring an employee solely to handle communication with customers is expensive. Consider salary, additional employer costs, training, illness, etc. Research shows that an employee costs on average 45 euros per hour.
For just 49 euros per month, you can already have a virtual assistant.
Professional first impression
If you are available day and night, accessible in multiple languages, by phone, via WhatsApp, and live chat, you immediately leave a professional first impression.
Multiple conversations
Unlike ourselves, a virtual assistant can conduct dozens - even hundreds - of conversations simultaneously. Anyone who calls or texts is helped immediately, queues are a thing of the past.
Past perfect at your company
A virtual assistant is only useful if it can help customers independently. Generic answers and many callback requests do not save time, after all.
It is therefore important to train your virtual assistant based on your information. You can easily train your HeyFred virtual assistant by loading your website and uploading attachments and documentation. Do you have information about frequently asked questions via email? Then you can also include that in your own knowledge base, so your assistant keeps getting smarter.
Choose a voice that fits your business.
Existing customers are often attached to you or your employees. Therefore, choose a voice that fits your company well or use your own voice. You can use your own voice through a virtual assistant in just a few minutes. This way, you save time and it sounds familiar to customers.
More than 100 languages
The virtual assistant speaks more than 100 languages, and besides your own voice, you can use various male and female voices. Customers are assisted in their native language.
Concrete examples where a virtual assistant delivers immediate value
During holidays or absence
Many companies set up a voicemail during holidays. Customers can leave a message, but they are not assisted. Right now, a virtual assistant is a solution. Customers can continue to ask their questions, make reservations and appointments, and are helped immediately, and if necessary, they can request a callback for after the holiday.
Outside office hours
Many companies are no longer reachable after closing time, but that doesn't mean that customers don't want to get in touch then. A virtual assistant can work 24/7, allowing customers to call or send a message in the evening as well.
Peak moments & busyness
Everyone knows the annoyance of calling the dentist or general practitioner and then hanging on the line for a quarter of an hour because the assistants are overwhelmed with calls. A virtual assistant handles all these conversations simultaneously, allowing customers to no longer have to wait.
Unable to record
In many sectors, answering calls is simply difficult. Think of driving schools, roofers, or handymen who have tools in their hands. You not only miss the call from a customer who is trying to reach you at that moment, but you also have to call back. Concentration gone, time lost.
How the virtual assistant of HeyFred works in broad terms
HeyFred is a virtual assistant that automates your availability. In practice, this means:
- You decide when HeyFred answers: during office hours, only during busy times, or always.
- HeyFred handles all calls. This can be both incoming and outgoing.
- You receive a summary of the conversation and any customer details if a callback request is created.
In the settings of your virtual assistant, you can indicate whether a customer can be transferred, whether you want a summary after the conversation, or if you want a customer to be able to request a callback. You can also easily set whether you want the assistant to make calls only, or also to send messages and chat via a live chat.
Before you start
The instructions for your virtual assistant are extremely important.Correct instructions
Ensure correct instructions for your virtual assistant, think of the following:
- How to address the customer
- Is the customer allowed to be transferred
- Which information can you provide and which should you not
- What do you do in case of escalation, urgency, or malfunctions
- What do you do with new customers
Provide clear boundaries
Also ensure that the virtual assistant knows well what is not allowed, think of example:
- Providing information about competitors
- Arguing with the customer
- Giving privacy-sensitive information
- Offering discounts
- Giving legal and/or medical advice
Examples in practice
Driving schools: more trial lessons and fewer missed leads
As a driving school, you receive many calls at moments that are just not convenient: during lessons, on the road, or during an exam. Is the missed call a request for a trial lesson? Then this is immediately a missed opportunity, because who knows which driving school that person is trying to call now?
With a virtual assistant, you will definitely solve this. The conversation is recorded immediately, and new students can even send messages via WhatsApp. The virtual assistant gathers all important information such as name, place of residence, address, and whether someone already has theory, for example.
Do you use a calendar? Then the (trial) lesson can be scheduled immediately. Otherwise, the assistant makes a complete summary so you can call back well-prepared.
Another advantage is that you can also be optimally reachable outside office hours. Young people will often call in the evenings, as they can consult with their parents then. Even then, your virtual assistant can handle the conversation completely independently.
Construction companies
Not only contracting companies but also electricians, roofers, and almost everyone in construction has the same problem. You're standing there with heavy tools in your hand, and just then the phone rings, if you even notice it with all the noise around you. A new job? An emergency due to a leak?
If someone has a leak and can't reach you immediately, they will call the next person. They certainly won't wait for you to call back - if you even do.
A virtual assistant easily solves this problem. All calls are answered immediately, and your assistant primarily acts as a filter. Is it about a new job, what needs to be done, etc.? You receive a complete summary via email, and the client gets a nice follow-up that you'll get back to them personally.
Is it urgent? Then the assistant can send a message and an email, so you don't miss the emergency and can respond to the client as quickly as possible.
Web agencies & agencies
Web agencies and agencies receive many calls, and many questions are repetitive. What does a website cost, what does maintenance cost, how do I create a page or can I order another 500 business cards? If you assume five calls per day of three minutes each, then you're looking at 5 hours per month spent on frequently asked questions.
A virtual assistant not only saves time but also money. If you assume an average rate of 45 euros per hour for an employee, you spend over 200 euros per month on staff that isn't working, and for just 49 euros per month, you can handle many of these conversations.
Two additional benefits are that your team can work much more focused, as they are not constantly disturbed by the phone, and that customers are always helped directly in a friendly and consistent manner.
If a customer has a specific question about printing, programming code, or a malfunction? You can automatically direct this to the right colleague. Ideal.
Hospitality and hotels
A virtual assistant is particularly suitable for catering and hotels. Think of automatically scheduling and changing reservations, as well as making calls or sending a message to remind a customer of their upcoming reservation.
Frequently asked questions about allergens, the menu, check-in and check-out times, facilities, or information about the area can also be excellently handled by a smart assistant.
In the catering industry and at hotels, you also encounter many international customers and tourists. Your virtual assistant communicates with customers in their own language and sends you a summary in Dutch.
“HeyFred maakt het zo simpel. 24/7 kunnen klanten mijn bedrijf bellen. Zelf afspraken maken, ik ben niet meer nodig.”
Larissa
Ondernemer
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