Answering Service Blog

One of my clients nearly buried his semi-truck dealership because he thought that as the owner, he was responsible for his business.

Calling in sick should never be hard. When you’re not feeling your best, all you want to do is go back to sleep and focus on healing, not wrack your brain trying to remember what manager is going to be in charge and the best way to reach them and alert them you won’t be making it in.

If you dread calling the IT help desk for assistance, you may be surprised to know that the feeling is sometimes mutual. Though “help” is clearly stated in their job description, sometimes verbal and non-verbal cues from the help desk staff tell you that they really don’t want to be there, especially solving the same problems for the same people all the time.

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.

We're all trying to produce better results with less resources these days. Whether the resources are time, energy or money we are always on the lookout for ways to improve. The same holds true for telephone answering services. Leveraging new technologies and techniques can pay dividends for you with increased efficiencies and reduced costs.

If you aren't standing by to assist when a potential buyer needs your help, you could lose the deal. Yet for many real estate agents, spending more time on the phone simply is not possible.

There is no shortage of opinions and reviews on the internet. When shopping for a new place to live, online reviews matter. Big time. Learn how using an apartment answering service can help your online reputation.

It’s not far off to refer to the legal world as a jungle. It’s the special environment where attorneys fight tooth and nail for the good of their clients. This turf that can be confusing and even frightening to outsiders but a good attorney’s responsibility to provide safe navigation through it all, especially the scary parts.

"Which answering service plan should I choose?" It’s a question that we’re often asked. The short answer is it depends on how you will use the telephone answering service. Here are some tips on how to make an informed decision on what plan is right for you when signing up for using an answering service.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are you confident your medical answering service provider is equipped with the right technology to handle your patient calls? If not, it’s probably time to take a closer look at the call center you’re doing business with.

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.