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.

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Human Resources/HR Solutions

By: Aaron Boatin
February 3rd, 2021

When you need to relay important information to employees, oftentimes it can be a huge challenge to do so fast and effectively. Many companies do this by making phone calls which get sent to voicemail. While others send emails that go unread.

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Human Resources/HR Solutions

By: Aaron Boatin
February 3rd, 2021

Business management advice blogs and forums are abound with questions about how and why employees abuse their benefits and what can be done about it.

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Human Resources/HR Solutions

By: Ryan Ambs
January 25th, 2021

“But I DID call! It’s your fault, not mine, that you didn’t get the message.” Maybe they did call, maybe they didn’t, but either way you, as a manager, have a problem on your hands.

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Human Resources/HR Solutions

By: Aaron Boatin
January 18th, 2021

It's simply a fact of life. From time to time, employees are going to call in sick or have to miss work for another reason. And every time one of them does, it can wreak havoc on you as an HR manager.

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Human Resources/HR Solutions | How Answering Services Work

By: Jennifer McGlothlin
January 14th, 2021

When you’re a busy HR Manager at a mid-size to large company, staying on top of employee absences can be a burden.

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Company News

By: Aaron Boatin
December 9th, 2020

Ambs Call Center was just awarded the 2020 ATSI Award of Excellence for answering service quality. This marks the 10th consecutive year that our team has earned this award and overall the 29th time we've won an Award of Excellence. We couldn't be prouder of our dedicated team who maintain such high quality standards. The reason we take part in these independent quality assurance programs isn’t for a trophy or a logo to put on our website. We do it because we want to have an outsider's view of how we're running our business. We do it because one of our core values is 'We are Committed to Quality.' Having said all this, we are incredibly proud to have earned the 2020 ATSI Award of Excellence. Listen to our recent interview to hear about how our staff persevered in 2020.

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Healthcare

By: Aaron Boatin
November 30th, 2020

Most health care providers send text messages and emails throughout their day. Unfortunately many are choosing unsecured methods of transmission. If your medical answering service is sending PHI via regular text messages, they should know better. It's bad news for protecting patient data and worse yet, a clear HIPAA violation.

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Customer Service | How Answering Services Work | Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Jennifer M. Cronkhite
November 30th, 2020

Patching is essentially call center lingo for transferring a caller to your team. Patching is frequently used by switchboard operators, virtual receptionist and after-hours emergency dispatchers. In the telephone answering service industry, there are two common ways callers can be patched including, warm and cold.

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Customer Service

By: Aaron Boatin
November 30th, 2020

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” It's one of my favorite quotes by Will Rogers. It applies to all interactions we have with customers. Especially when it comes to the telephone answering techniques you use in your business.

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How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
November 4th, 2020

In looking at common answering service rate plans we warned that some answering services charge additional fees beyond the typical base rate and usage charges. Watch out for these ancillary charges. Left unchecked they can turn a reasonable rate into a budget buster. Here are some common monthly reoccurring answering service charges to watch out for:

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How Answering Services Work

By: Aaron Boatin
September 14th, 2020

Doctors answering services have been around for a long time. But that doesn’t mean they’re obsolete. In fact, they may be more important now than ever before. Throughout this time the medical answering service has continued to evolve to meet healthcare providers’ needs and their patients’ expectations. With an emphasis on the personal touch, a patient answering service applies the latest technology to their service offerings so they can provide best-in-class service to their healthcare clients.

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Healthcare

By: Jennifer McGlothlin
September 2nd, 2020

If you work within the health care industry, you already know the importance of protecting patient health information (PHI). A question we are regularly asked is, "How can I tell if I have a HIPAA compliant answering service?"

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Human Resources/HR Solutions

By: Peter DeHaan
July 2nd, 2020

Wouldn’t it be great if employees came to work when they’re supposed to? On time, every time? In an ideal world we wouldn’t need to worry about absent employees or those who arrive late. But we do. Attendance issues are something every company faces. And the larger the company the bigger the problem.

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How Answering Services Work

By: Aaron Boatin
June 29th, 2020

This blog was originally published on 6/29/20 and has been updated for relevance.

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Customer Service | How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
June 23rd, 2020

Toll-free numbers make it easy for people to reach you. Regardless of where they are in the country, this one number will work. There’s no guessing about using an area code or not. And there’s no need to pick from a list of many local numbers to select the right one. If you need a toll free number, you can get your own or your answering service can provide one for you. Here are five tips for successfully using a toll free number with a toll free answering service:

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How Answering Services Work

By: Aaron Boatin
May 5th, 2020

All business owners know how critical customer satisfaction is to their company’s success. But the most successful owners understand how closely customer satisfaction is tied to profitability. That's why it is really important to pick the right answering service. A poor customer experience is often the reason people choose to stop doing business with you. In fact, 71% of U.S. consumers chose to end a business relationship because they were turned off by a bad customer service experience. And lost customers impacted those business’ bottom lines.

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Customer Service | How Answering Services Work | Healthcare | Virtual Receptionists 101

By: Jennifer M. Cronkhite
May 1st, 2020

Which is better, using a telephone answering service or a virtual assistant? Well, no one can answer that question except for you. In fact, the real question is, “Which style of support is best for you?” To gain some clarity, you must understand the basics of each style and then determine your needs. Which is why you should continue reading this article. You'll learn about answering services, virtual assistants and call centers. Then we'll walk you through some basic questions to determine your needs. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of how to choose the right service for your business.

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How Answering Services Work

By: Aaron Boatin
March 1st, 2020

When looking for a telephone answering service, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of companies that show up on your Google search.

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Trade Services

By: Aaron Boatin
February 29th, 2020

As a HVAC contractor, using a HVAC answering service is a great option for you to consider. Having a live person (actually an entire team) to answer your phones when you need them 24/7 is never a bad thing. It's the ultimate in customer service and gives you a leg up on the competition.

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How Answering Services Work

By: Peter DeHaan
November 15th, 2019

Some answering services offer free trials to entice wary businesses to use their service. Their logic is that if you try it you will like it. They pretend their service is so good that they have nothing to risk. In reality, if their service was that good they wouldn’t need to bribe you with a free trial.