A potential customer is calling, but you can’t take the call. You’ve heard business pundits and gurus say that you should personally answer as many calls as possible, but there will always be times when you’re in a meeting or talking to another client on the phone, working at a client site, having lunch, dropping the kids off at school or about to solve a complicated problem that you don’t want to be distracted from.

That’s what voicemail is for. Good?

Well… that depends on how many leads your business can afford to lose.

Studies consistently show that most callers simply hang up if their call goes to voicemail instead of being answered by a real person:

• 80% of callers who receive a voice mail system hang up. (Fortune Magazine, 2006)
• Callers responding to print, media or telemarketing campaigns are 8 times more likely to leave their information with a live representative than in a voicemail box. (Sales Summary, 2007)
• When responding to print, radio, or RV advertisements, only 21% of the 10,000 customers surveyed said they were likely to leave their name and phone number on an answering machine, with 68% not likely and 11% that you are not sure. (ABC Advertising via The New York Times, 2008)
• 70% of callers never leave a message when calls are answered by a voicemail service. (Alex Drumheller, 2010)

A 75% average means that for every message left on your voicemail service, three people have hung up (and possibly called one of your competitors). That’s a high percentage of potential business being turned away, and many businesses don’t realize they’re losing out.

Let’s repeat that for emphasis. 75% of calls are lost.

Now that you know the problem exists, what are you going to do about it? Many companies simply cannot justify the expense of a full-time receptionist. The good news is that there is an affordable alternative.

For the fraction of the cost of hiring a receptionist, you can sign up for a live answering service. These services are carried out through call centers, which have professionals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Your “virtual receptionist” greets callers using your company name when you’re not available to answer the phone and messages you immediately via SMS and email. With some plans, the receptionist can even transfer the call directly to you.

For best results, you should select a call center in your home country. That way, you can be sure that your callers are greeted by someone with a good knowledge of the local language who is familiar with local customs and sensibilities.

You can select the hours of the day and conditions (for example, “busy” or “no answer” that your calls are redirected to the call center. And with live answer plans starting as low as $29 per month, it’s probably one One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to increase sales leads.

Again, let’s repeat that for emphasis. Stop losing 75% of your calls for as little as $29 per month.