Hiring and Training Your Answering Service Staff
Hiring your answering service staff is by far the most important part of starting your new business. The most important qualities to have in an operator are a good voice and a great attitude. Their voice must sound pleasant and attentive; they should be able to convey that they are genuinely interested in the callers concerns. When they are answering the phone; your operators represent your business and your customers' businesses.
In this regard, they must be able to project a professional image at all times regardless of their personal emotions. The operator must be able to learn to leave his or her problems at the door and focus 100% on the callers' needs and the clients' businesses. Your answering service is only as good as your worst operator, so choose wisely.
The best people to hire are those with previous telephone experience. This will save time and frustration on your part. It is a good idea to put your most inexperienced people on the evening shift when the call volume is less demanding. Have them shadow an experienced operator during the daytime hours so that they get a feel for how things work and have a trainer by their side during their first week on the evening shift. They should also run through some role playing with their trainer before handling live calls.
Your operators should be fully trained on the proper answering protocol for each client. They should really be actors, able to change their tone and mood at will for each particular situation. Teach them to treat each caller as if it were their best friend calling during a time of need. Having compassion and respect for the caller will put the caller at ease and give them a positive feeling about their call experience.
Your inexperienced operators should probably be hired at minimum wage to start out and your more experienced operators should make more than that. It is important to convey to them that the success of your business depends on the quality of their work, and as your business grows, their paychecks will also. Help your answering service operators to feel empowered and interested in helping you succeed.
All of your employees should sign a non-compete agreement before beginning work at your answering service. This is a legal protection for you that will prevent them from stealing your client base once they leave your employment or you sell your business. Another thing to consider is taking on operators as independent contractors rather than employees. This will save you time and money in the long run. It is even worthwhile to pay them a little more per hour under this type of arrangement. The time spent on paperwork and the money saved in benefits is well worth it.
Once you have hired and trained your employees (or contractors) it is important to treat them well. They deserve the same respect you expect them to give your callers. Without their skills and expertise you have no business so treat your employees as the valuable resource they are and your business will surely grow as a result.
