Acquiring Equipment for Your Answering Service Business
Once you have decided to "take the plunge" and start your own answering service business you need to decide what size business you are going to have. It is indeed possible to begin this endeavor as a home-based business if you plan on servicing just a few clients and making some supplementary income. This, of course, will require that you have a quiet home environment, kids or pets vying for your attention in the background will not provide a professional image and your clients will not stick around long.
If you have decided to serve just a few clients, your most cost effective option would be to have separate phone lines installed for each client and simply mark each phone so that you will know which one you are answering for. You can use a duplicate phone message book for each client to track all phone calls taken and after relaying the messages to them each day by phone or email, you can send them a hard copy each week and still have a copy for your records. While this is a very low-tech option, it will allow you to get your business started with very little up-front investment and still keep things organized and professional.
If you want to service a larger client base and make an actual living from your business, you will need to invest in some equipment. One option is to rent a switchboard from your local phone company. This along with a high-speed internet connection and some specialized software will give your business the competitive edge and allow you to successfully handle a larger client base. You will want to rent some office space at this point and it would be wise to situate yourself as close to the local phone company as possible. You would likely also want to hire at least 2 other people to work the switchboard. After all, you can't be at the office 24 hours a day anymore!
Other things to consider are the usual office furniture and fixtures to make it a comfortable and productive place to work. Make sure to invest in quality office furniture now in order to prevent this from being a recurring expense.
Good lighting may prove important in being able to read and transcribe messages accurately. Headsets will provide greater privacy during each phone call and allow the operator to focus their attention completely on the caller. Even if you are running a high-tech computerized operation, you will want to have plenty of paper, pens, etc. available in the office just in case. I would suggest being prepared, in the event of a power outage; have regular phone lines and message pads available for use.
There are a lot of things to consider when starting your own answering service business and making smart choices now will help you succeed in your endeavors for many years to come. While there is a lot of responsibility involved, this business can bring a lot of satisfaction as well as a decent pay check.
