Answering Service Blog

Answering Service Blog

Read Ambs' blog for tips, tricks, and inside information from answering service veterans on how to create a culture of professional, customer-focused voices.

Peter DeHaan

Peter DeHaan

Peter DeHaan, is CEO of Peter DeHaan publishing which produces print media periodicals and Internet-based publications, as well as media and informational websites. In addition, and TAS Trader. Notable websites and publications include: TAS Trader, which focuses exclusively on the needs, concerns, and opportunities of the Telephone Answering Service (TAS) Industry. It is written by the TAS Industry and is for the TAS Industry. Connections Magazine, which is the premier magazine for the Teleservices Call Center Industry and is distributed to qualified readers at call centers, contact centers, teleservice agencies, telephone answering services, and telemessaging companies.

Blog Feature

Healthcare

By: Peter DeHaan
May 5th, 2017

Patient care coordination means different things to different people, from provider to patient, and from insurer to the network that connects them all. Regardless of how you define it, everyone’s goals are the same: enhance quality, streamline the provision of services, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.

Blog Feature

Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Peter DeHaan
April 21st, 2017

When you hire an employee to answer your phone, that person works about forty hours a week, minus breaks and lunch, and doesn’t work the remaining 128 hours. That’s a lot of time when your phone isn’t covered.

Why Use an Answering Service

Is an answering service right for your organization?

Get our free infographic, illustrating how partnering with an answering service can grow your business, by subscribing to our blog.

Blog Feature

Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Peter DeHaan
March 13th, 2017

As businesses seek to increase their efficiency and decrease their costs, they look closely at their staff and the cost of that staff, which is often the single largest item on their financials.

Blog Feature

Healthcare

By: Peter DeHaan
February 15th, 2017

If you’re in health care, you know about the importance of HIPAA, which mandates the safeguarding of personal health care information. This requirement also applies to your medical answering service and the information they collect from your callers, including each time they send you a text message.

Blog Feature

Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Peter DeHaan
February 13th, 2017

A virtual receptionist is someone who takes care of your phone and handles related communication, but they don’t sit in your office. They work remotely. In that sense they are virtual, even though their work is very real.

Blog Feature

Healthcare

By: Peter DeHaan
January 12th, 2017

Healthcare seminars and classes are a great way to communicate instruction tailored to a specific interest niche. This is both an effective and efficient way to disseminate medical-related information.While you can announce a schedule, plan the curriculum, and prepare the space in hopes that someone shows up, this isn’t the most effective approach. What if no one attends? Then you’ve wasted time and resources.

Blog Feature

Trade Services

By: Peter DeHaan
January 11th, 2017

As with many service companies, the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) industry struggles with low margins, competitive pressures, and high expectations from customers, both commercial and residential. Gone are the days when simply returning a phone call was enough to gain new business. Today’s consumers expect an immediate response, and they will keep calling vendors until they get one who answers their phone.

Blog Feature

Trade Services

By: Peter DeHaan
December 17th, 2016

In general terms all plumbing issues fall into two categories: water is flowing where it shouldn’t or it’s not flowing where it should. But both cases cause concerns for the homeowner or business manager, and the result is that they need to connect with a plumber, fast! That's where an answering service for plumbing companies comes to the rescue.

Blog Feature

Trade Services

By: Peter DeHaan
November 28th, 2016

Whether you are a single electrician working to make a living, a small-sized firm bidding for more work, or a growing contractor set to lead your market, you must constantly balance three things: do the work, respond to existing accounts, and secure new business.

Blog Feature

Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Peter DeHaan
November 15th, 2016

Some people think a virtual receptionist is a piece of automated technology that answers phone calls. This couldn't be further from the truth. In reality they are a real person ready to help when you need them.

Blog Feature

Customer Service

By: Peter DeHaan
October 29th, 2016

In our post '4 Key Benefits to Call Recording' we wrote about the value answering services provide when they record all their calls. Call recording provides a great means for dispute resolution, information verification, and quality assurance. Call recording systems are 100% digital making it easy to record, store, and share phone conversations.

Blog Feature

Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Peter DeHaan
October 11th, 2016

Are you familiar with virtual receptionists? If you own or manage a business, you’ll want to know what they are and how they function. While some people think a virtual receptionist is a piece of automated technology that answers phone calls, this is not a true virtual receptionist.

Blog Feature

How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
September 15th, 2016

A telephone answering service sells an intangible product. You can’t see it, touch it, or hold it. Someone must describe it to you and explain how it will solve a problem, save you money, or make your business better. But until you actually use it, you don’t know for sure if it’s the solution you need. While there’s no getting around this dilemma, there are some key answering service characteristics that when present can increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome.

Blog Feature

How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
September 12th, 2016

Astute business managers often wonder if they should select an established, proven answering service or try a neophyte provider. While there is no one universal answer, the following discussion will provide reliable guidance and much to consider.

Blog Feature

How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
August 18th, 2016

A service agreement is a legal arrangement between two parties that defines expectations. In the case of an answering service, the agreement details what they will deliver to you. It also defines the terms of the relationship. This agreement serves many important functions.

Blog Feature

Healthcare

By: Peter DeHaan
July 26th, 2016

It's hard to run a business and still be available for customers' calls around the clock. Your phone is the front door to your business and first impressions count. Sending customers to voicemail when they call could be costing your business big time. Having a live person answering your phone makes all the difference in the world to customer perception and satisfaction. What follows are the hidden costs of using voicemail.

Blog Feature

How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
July 10th, 2016

When a business decides they need to hire a telephone answering service or virtual receptionist, they are often anxious to start right away. That’s understandable. It’s human nature that once we decide to do something, we want immediate results.

Blog Feature

How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
June 9th, 2016

When you hire a telephone answering service they assign you a local or toll free number just for you to use. The key word here is use.

Blog Feature

How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
March 24th, 2016

Some telephone answering services record all the calls they answer. Other don't. Does it really matter? Why should you care?

Blog Feature

Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Peter DeHaan
February 24th, 2016

Most virtual receptionist services will answer your phone twenty-four hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. They often call this 24/7. Beware, not all 24/7 coverage is the same.