Answering Service Blog

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.

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.

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.

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.

Once the must-have communication status symbol, pagers have given way to the technology of the smart phone. Yet the pager has hung around in the healthcare industry as a preferred, reliable communication tool for many a long time healthcare provider. With the advent of secure text messaging it is now time to ditch the pager.

What does it take to provide top-notch customer service over the phone? It’s far more than you might think. A happy voice and a pleasant greeting isn’t nearly enough. Customer service reps need to be prepared to answer any and all sorts of questions about your company and service. They need to be charismatic, yes. But they also need to efficiently get your prospect or customers what they need.

Hurricane season is officially upon us. Whether or not your business is in an area prone to hurricanes, it’s wise to be prepared for the unexpected. Though the threats vary by location, no business is immune to some sort of hazard.

The best telephone answering services charge by the minute. It's the most fair and accurate way to account for the work they do for you. In the answering service industry, this is known as work time. Think of them as your staff on demand where you are only paying someone when they are actually working.

There are many reasons for business owners to consider hiring a telephone answering service. These include providing 24/7 availability, improving customer service, and enhancing customer-facing communication. However, did you know that if you hire the right answering service, they can also help you increase your sales? Here are seven ways that a phone answering service can help you close more sales.

Using a virtual phone receptionist is a great way to impress your callers. On top of that it helps you take control of your calendar and focus on the things that matter. Here are 12 reasons why using a virtual answering service will help your business.

Leading answering service companies share several key characteristics. Business owners considering hiring an answering service should deliberate over these seven qualities that the best answering service companies have in common.

Businesses and organizations hire an after-hours answering service for multiple reasons. One common reason is to avoid the need to hire, schedule, and manage staff outside of regular business hours to answer phone calls and handle customer communication.

While few people are happy with the current state of healthcare in the United States, one ray of sunshine comes from the growing role medical answering services and healthcare call centers play in providing professional, personal care and attention to patients and their caregivers.

An answering service is a professional services provider that can make a difference in how your organization communicates with your stakeholders. If you view an answering service as a commodity solution, you misunderstand their true value, and you’ll likely end up selecting the wrong provider for the wrong reasons.

An answering service is an off-site telecommunication service which many businesses invest in to manage their internal and external business communications when they are unable to answer the calls.

Will a doctors answering service help you better serve your patients? If you’re not sure, learn what a doctors’ answering service can do for you. And if it looks like these are the outcomes that will provide a difference for your organization, you can begin by taking your first step to select the ideal answering service.

When we hire a call answering service, we have a set of predefined expectations that we want our answering service to provide. However, we often assume these critical items exist—or they may even be subconscious—so we forget to include them in our selection criteria. Then, we’re shocked if our call answering service misses one of these key areas.

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.

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.