Hiring an answering service is hard, and that assumes you’ve done it before. You know it’s too easy to make a misstep, and that there’s no guarantee it will work out. And hiring an answering service is even harder if it’s your first time. Your standing in the company, the respect of your boss, and even your continued employment may hinge on the outcome. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can tip the balance in your favor. Ask these six key questions when hiring an answering service. Listen carefully to the answers. They’ll guide you to success.

As a property manager, you provide a vital service to the building owner, whether it’s for a commercial property or a residential landlord. In doing so, you function as an interface between the owner and the tenants. You serve as leasing agent, building maintenance coordinator, and complaint department. And you and your team must do this 24/7. Though you could address this challenge of around-the-clock availability with in-house staff, the cost-effective solution is to tap the services of a property management answering service.

Have you ever had conversations with prospects and realized they didn’t have a true understanding of what your business can do for them and how you’d do it? Some prospects may not know the best ways to shop for services in your industry. Answering services aren’t rocket science, but they too are more complex than they first appear.

The mission of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) providers is to keep people comfortable in their homes and at work. This means air-conditioning when it’s hot outside, heat when it’s cold, and proper ventilation throughout the year. For new construction this entails a properly designed and installed system. For existing buildings, it also includes regular preventive maintenance. And because these systems normally work the way they should, people tend to take them for granted—until they stop working. This brings us to the third element of the HVAC industry: repair and replacement.

Companies have varying levels of answering service needs, often extending beyond the sheer need to have a professional answer customer calls. Add in the competition in today’s marketplace for answering services, virtual receptionists, and call centers, it’s no surprise that the range of partners that provide such services is quite large – from big, corporate juggernauts to small startups.

For decades doctors have relied on medical answering services to provide after-hours phone support to their patients. And with the rapid changes in the healthcare industry, this is more important now than ever before.