Answering Service Buyer’s Guide · Five things to look for when you’re shopping for a service...

Answering Service Buyer’s Guide

1-800-645-2616 I www.answerfirst.com I [email protected]

For more information: 1-800-645-2616 I www.answerfirst.com I [email protected]

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Table of Contents

1. What is An Answering Service? The basics: what are answering services and what do they do?

2. Foundational First Choice What are the options for handling your business phone calls?

3. Why Choose an Answering Service? A closer look at what solutions answering services provide and how these servicescanbenefityourbusiness.

4. How Do Answering Services Work? How does an answering service receive your calls? How do you get your messages?

5. The Best & Worst Answering Service Practices Fivethingstolookforwhenyou’reshoppingforaserviceandfivethings to avoid.

6. Choosing the Best Answering Service for Your Business Three steps to help you make the right choice for your business.

7. Call Center Comparison Guide Ahandyguidethatyoucanutilizetoshop&compareupto3different services.

8. Learn More About AnswerFirst Ready to get started? Want more info?

Please note: these rates are based on a call limit of 3 simultaneous inbound calls. If you have questions about this, please ask your Sales Rep.

What Is An Answering Service?

As a true solo lawyer, AnswerFirst has been invaluable to me this year. In large part due to my ability to capture calls and get back to folks quickly, we have doubled our revenue every month this year.

- Bill Y. Yanger Law

Answering services are business communication solution providers that focus on professionally and promptly handling inbound communications; thus, improving revenue and profitability, reducing costs, and increasing availability and customer retention.

Answering services give callers the opportunity to talk to a live Customer Service Professional who can meet their particular needs better than an automated voicemail. Additionally, Customer Service Professionals have the ability to decide whether a call is urgent enough to take actions other than simply taking a message.

Professional answering services are able to answer all calls on behalf of a business, allowing callers to be unaware that their calls have been redirected to an answering service. For many companies, live answering services enable them to be more available while simultaneously giving their businesses a professional presence.

Additionally, many answering services provide more than just live telephone answering. Dispatching, scheduling, order entry, help desk solutions and social media monitoring are just a few ofthe other services an answering service can provide.



Foundational First Choice

Answering service, automated voicemail, or traditional receptionist?

Formanybusinesses,thefirstdecisionabouthandlinginboundtelephonecallsusuallyhinges

on the choice between: (1) an answering service, (2) automated voicemail, or (3) a traditional

receptionist.

Therearesignificantdifferencesbetweentheseoptionsandshoppersshouldbeinformedand

prepared to make this fundamental choice.

24/7

Extremely

Monitored 24/7 by Provider

Automatic Updates

Web Based User Portal

Simple & Handsfree

$150 Monthly Average

24/7

Minimally

Customer Assumes Risk

Handled by Customer

By Appointment

Complex & Time Intensive


9-5pm

Moderately

Customer Assumes Risk

Handled by Customer

By Appointment

Complex & Time Intensive


Availability

Flexibility

Security

Updates

System Management

Implementation

Cost of Service

Answering Service Automated Voicemail Traditional Receptionist

1 2 3



Why Choose an Answering Service?Answering Services are more important now than ever because they help businesses gain new customers and retain existing ones in an era when people are less likely to leave voicemails.

We’re excited about the services we offer! Why?

Our innovative technology has the capacity to handle almost all business phone systems and phone callsregardlessofyourlocation.Ourservicesareflexibleandrobust!Weareconstantlyimprovingourserviceofferings,andimplementingnewtechnologytofurtherunifyyourcommunications.

What solutions do answering services provide?

• answer calls after-hours

• answercallswhenyourofficeisunattended

• provide immediate customer care

• answer calls when your main line is busy/engaged

• provide services when you wish to work undisturbed

• cover high call volume or need to cover high call periods

• phonecoveragewhenyou’reshort-staffed

• loweroverheadandincreaseprofitability

• enable you to expand availability for customers in other time zones

• reduce costs

• improve customer retention and/or satisfaction

• improve customer service

• answering calls as they come in because customers are less likely to leave a voicemail

• get results for marketing campaigns by asking callers, “How did you hear about us?”

How do answering services benefit my business?

• Anansweringserviceismuchmorecost-effectiveandflexiblethanatraditionalreceptionist.

• You can easily and quickly forward and unforward calls to an answering service, anytime and anywhere.

• An answering service is more personable and professional than automated voicemails.

• Answering Service Customer Service Professionals are trained to deal with irrate callers in a professional and

productive manner.



How Do Answering Services Work?

Routing your calls to us is easy!

We provide you with a unique forwarding number. You forward your calls to that number and when the number rings at our contact center, a Customer Service Professional answers in your company name and follows your account instructions for handling your callers.

Nervous about forwarding your calls?

Phone carriers provide several options for you to forward your calls. The most common forwarding method is known as manual call forwarding. Manual call forwarding requires you to select the line you want to forward and dial an access code followed by the number to which you wishtoforward.SomephonecompaniesofferBusyNoAnswerforwarding,whichallowsyourlineto ring to us if it is tied up or if it’s not answered by a predetermined number of rings. There is also remote call forwarding, which allows you to forward your calls from anywhere.

Curious of how you would receive your messages?

Most providers deliver messages via fax, email, text messaging (SMS), alpha pager, digital pager, verbally over the phone and via the web. You can usually select any of these options in any combination. For example, you can request to receive a text message to your cell phone, and then later retrieve or review that same message on the web, and then via a summary email the nextmorning.Also,basedonyouraccountsetup,youcanhavedifferentdispatchprotocolsfordifferenttypesofmessages(e.g.emergenciessentviatextmessageandthencalledtoconfirmreceipt but all routine calls held for the next morning.)

Forward your lines to your unique forwarding number.

Calls are handled according to your account instructions.

We answer your calls as your company.



5 Best & Worst Answering Service Practices

Notallansweringservicesarecreatedequal.Manyansweringservicesaremoreinterestedinoverheadandprofitsthanprovidingclientswithgenuineandflexiblecustomerservice.

Best Practices

• per second billing instead of paying for a full minute worth of time

• pay as you go pricing so you don’t pay for time you don’t end up using

• charging the same rate for nights, weekends, and holidays

• being available any and all holidays, 24/7/365

• chargingasiginificantlylowerrateforservicesthataren’tperformedbyaliveperson

Worst Practices

• billing a full minute for calls that do not last 45-60 seconds

• charging higher rates for weekends and holidays

• charging for calls that land in a hold queue because they weren’t answered by a live professional

• not providing full transparency including unscreened access to call recordings

• notoffering24/7/365livesupportandaccountupdates



Choosing the Best Answering Service for Your Business

How Do You Know Which Service Is Right for You?There’s a lot to consider when choosing an answering service. There are numerous service providersallwithdifferentserviceoptions,vastlydifferentfeaturesandvariouspricingstructures. To make the correct choice for your business, consider your goals, the capabilities of each service you’re evaluating, the bottom line cost and business value.

1. Define what you want to achieve

Ask yourself what challenge you are trying to solve. Example: lower costs from traditional receptionist, increase availability, provide better customer service, etc.

2. Define your requirements

Put together a list detailing your current systems to help you understand what may or may not need to be integrated with your new answering service. Example: phone system, phone service provider, scheduling software, CRM solution, etc.

3. Consider your budget and expectations

Of course, budgetary objectives play a role in which service you choose. Some businesses are constrainedbycurrentbusinessconditions/budgets,whileotherbusinesseshavemorefiscalflexibility.It’scrucialtoconsiderifthereareanycostsavingsbenefitsorincreasedrevenuepotential associated with utilizing a service so you can look at the bottom line cost of hiring an answering service.



1. Does the normal rate include answering phone calls and emails any time, holidays, weekend or nights?

2. Does the rate plan guarantee you pay only for the services you use?

3. Doestheservicebillonlyafterworkisperformed(nopackages&noflatrates)?

4. Does the service record all calls and make them available to you at no charge?

5. Can the service patch callers to you in the continental U.S. without long distance fees?

6. Does the service bill in true one second increments? (no one minute roundingup)

7. Is your account assigned a unique phone number not used by other clients?

8. Does the service include a local forwarding number at no additional charge?

9. Can you take your forwarding number with you if you leave the service?

10. Doestheserviceoffervariousbilling&paymentmethods?

11. Doestheservicemaintainasupervisoronstaff24/7forissuesorproblems?

12. Are all your calls answered by agents in the U.S.?

13. Doestheserviceprovide24/7freewebaccesstoallaccountdata (completetransparency)?

14. DoestheserviceofferaHIPAAcompliantmobileappthatworksonApple, Android and Blackberry?

15. Can you make real-time on-call status changes via the web?

16. Can your data be exported in .csv format for import into your database?

17. Areyourcallsneverinterruptedtoanswerothercalls(callersnotputonhold)?

18. Does the service utilize separate dispatch operators to minimize mistakes?

19. Doestheserviceoffercustomizedholdannouncements?

20. Can the service bring your inbound e-mails into the operator queue for processing?

21. Can voice mail services be included as part of your live operator account?

22. If using voice mail services, can messages be e-mailed to you in .wav format?

23. In the event of a power, telephone or internet outage, will the service continue to function?

24. Can you Tweet or Facebook your service for support?

Call Center Comparison Guide AnswerFirst 2nd 3rd 4th



Learn More About AnswerFirst’s 5-Star Rated Answering Service

AnswerFirst brings together all of the essentials you need to get your callsanswered with a live Customer Service Professional all while attracting,

converting, and delighting customers.

Learn more about how AnswerFirst’s Answering Services can help your business save time and money.

Learn more about answering services Talk to a specialist



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