How Does An Answering Service Work?

An answering service is different from a call center because after-hours response and emergency phone calls for small businesses are the priority. While a call center can take orders from customers and provide basic information about a large corporation, service-oriented business calls are often answered by skilled operators. Think of the homeowner trying to reach a plumber when the toilet is backed up in the middle of the night or of the customer trying to reach their home nursing agency before the office is opened.

If you are interested in providing exceptional service to each of your clients without making personal calls around the clock, you can reduce overhead costs, promote business growth and achieve improved productivity by partnering with an answering service with professional experience.

Let’s take a quick look at how answering services work so that you know what to expect.

• Consultation and Setup

You will ask questions when you first partner with an answering service, designed to recognize your needs and expectations. For example, you may ask how you want to handle urgent calls, and what information you want to give your customers in some cases to telephone representatives.

• Professional, Prompt Answering Services

Telephone calls to your small business are redirected to the professionals representing your telephone service during specified hours. It works by simply forwarding the call, and is easy to set up. Since the company hires telephone staff, overhead costs for your corporation can be minimised.

Call representatives are polite and friendly, and welcome each caller with the respect you would personally give them. They listen carefully to the caller's request, and they can take messages that are forwarded to you or to another small business representative. Advanced technology allows you immediate access to messages online or over a cell phone, and urgent calls are instantly forwarded to you.

• Increased Profitability for Your Small Business

Call forwarding is a simple concept that lets you have outstanding customer service. As a result, many of your clients will remain loyal, thereby promoting business growth in the coming months and years. On your side with this company, the customers know you're never out of control.

Types of Answering Services

The ideas behind service response are not new. A company or individual hires a specialized service for making and screening calls, providing the caller with basic information and sending messages— and possibly also for taking orders, scheduling appointments and providing product support. But while the answering phone service has been around for decades, its capabilities and facilities are continuing to evolve as market demands change and technologies advance.

Answer services usually fit into one of the following categories, although answering-service providers often offer services from several categories:

• Automated answering service
• Live answering service
• Internet answering service
• Call center

Automated response services allow callers to leave voice messages and get information based on prompting responses. For example, if they want to know business hours, Press 2 to get directions, Press 3 to the company directory or Press 4 to hear directory listings, and leave a message, they might be asked to Press 1. Automated systems operate well with consumers who only want general information and are less costly than live answering services. These systems, however, lack the versatility or personal touch that live response services have.

Live answering services offer callers the opportunity to talk to someone more than an automated service, who can address their particular needs. The operator can also determine if the call is too urgent to immediately send through. In reality, callers are often unaware of the redirection of their call to the answering service. A live answering service will offer a more professional look to your company for telecommuters and solo entrepreneurs.