How to Choose the Right Telephone Answering Service
Managing customer calls is something that virtually every one of the over 33 million small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. have in common. Of course, taking calls isn’t always optimal or practical.
For example, professionals that rely on on-site work, like electricians or plumbers, can’t always stop what they’re doing to take a customer call. Doctors can’t reasonably interrupt a meeting with one patient to take calls from another. Beyond that, most businesses close down for at least part of the day.
Those demands and realities drive many businesses to use a telephone answering service. Keep reading for some things to look for while choosing phone answering services.
Industry Experience
While it might not seem that important, industry experience matters significantly in some industries. For example, an answering service for a law office or a physician has different demands than an answering service for an accountant.
Service with experience in a given industry will understand the unique demands of that industry and can provide a customer-focused experience.
Time in Business
You should also consider how long the service has been in business. While new companies aren’t doomed to failure, the failure rate is much higher with new businesses.
The last thing you need from a call center is for it to close overnight and leave you and your customers hanging.
Customer Service
You should give some thought to the customer service the answering service provides. While it’s not a one-to-one relationship, you can read the customer service they offer you as a signal about the customer service they’ll give your customers.
If they give you shoddy customer service, there is a good chance they’ll do the same for your customers. Remember, getting a customer to leave for a competitor can be as little as one bad experience.
Reviews
If you can find them, you should look for customer reviews. While there are fewer customer reviews of B2B services than B2C products or services, you can still see them. You can also ask for recommendations for a call center or answering service.
Cost
Weighing the relative costs of different services isn’t the only way you should decide, but it is something you should consider. Breaking your budget for a service that gets slightly better reviews or recommendations isn’t prudent.
Instead, you should select a service that offers what you need while bringing good reviews or recommendations.
Choosing Your Telephone Answering Service
Choosing your telephone answering service can have a tangible impact on revenue. A good answering service can help you secure or retain business, while a lousy service might cost you money.
Things you should bear in mind include factors like cost, customer service, and industry experience. Don’t forget about factors like time in business and customer reviews.
XACT provides telephone answering services for businesses. For questions about our answering services or to get started, contact XACT today.