Top Ten Tips for Choosing a Telephone Answering Service
Choosing the right answering service can be the difference between the life and death of your business. So how do you decide? Here are ten tips to guide you through this difficult decision:
1. One thing to do is contact an answering service industry trade organization such as the Association of TeleServices International. They can provide you with a list of their members and let you know which ones are certified.
2. You will want to know how the answering service's staff is trained. A uniform training program ensures that all of your callers will receive reliable, consistent service.
3. Does the answering service have a plan to ensure that adequate staffing is available to eliminate long rings or hold times? Do they require a special notice if your call volume should increase due to special promotions or other circumstances, if so, how much?
4. Does the office require their employees to be certified? Is the call center certified? This will be important in determining their ability to handle varied situations and avoid losses to your business over mishandled calls.
5. Does the answering service participate in the ATSI Award of Excellence service award? This is a program that assesses a company's service level by using test calls to evaluate their abilities. This award is presented annually to companies that achieve a minimum score of 80%.
6. Is the answering service in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations? Do they carry business insurance, especially "Errors and Omissions" coverage?
7. How many years has this answering service been in business? What is the average length of employment of the staff with this answering service?
8. Does the answering service have back-up power and critical system components? Would they be able to continue service during a crisis?
9. Available Services: Are customer service representatives available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays? Does the answering service offer a combination of automation and customer service agents? In some cases the use of a personalized announcement to give office hours and other basic information combined with the option to access a customer service representative is one way to reduce expenses and handle a large call volume.
Does the company offer a variety of message notification methods such as e-mail, fax, voice mail or phone calls to meet your needs? Do the operators have the ability to access the Internet while at their calling stations? Be sure to inquire as to what other business support services they may offer. Many answering services have the capability to schedule appointments and/or make reservations, take product orders and more.
10. Do they offer a competitive price? Be sure to understand how charges are figured. They can be based on time or the number of received calls. The answering service should be willing to work with you to create a package that give your company the best value for your needs.
These tips should help you make this crucial business decision
