A Guide to Choosing a Telephone Answering Service

Hiring a Live Answering Service to field phone calls for you can help turn interested consumers into customers. After all, having a real person answer the phone is obviously preferable to every call going to voicemail when you’re out of the office.

Using an answering service will also save you money compared to a full-time receptionist. There’s more to hiring an answering service than most people think. Use this guide to help you learn more about what to look for in a live answering service.

Consider Industry Experience

Having somebody to answer the phone for you makes you seem more professional and like you’re ready to do business. People won’t know you are using an answering service, and even if they did, they likely wouldn’t care.

Still, you do need an answering service that is familiar with your particular industry. For example, if you’re in the construction business, the people answering the calls need to know how to deal with calls from professionals like architects, as well as materials suppliers and customers. Make sure the answering service you hire has knowledge of what your company does.

Ask About Employee Training

A live answering service with poorly trained employees can do more damage to your business than good. That’s why you need to ask about how employees who will be answering the phone are trained.

Do they know how to take appointments? Can they handle customers who have had a problem with your business without making them even angrier? Do they have sales training to help close a deal or at least keep customers excited about your product or service?

Ask these basic questions before you hire any answering service.

What About 24/7 Service?

24/7 answering service isn’t a top priority for every business out there. There are, however, a few companies that could benefit from having a live person to answer the phone around the clock.

When you hire a company that offers 24/7 service, that means customers who call in the middle of the night or 10 minutes after you close won’t be talking to an answering machine. That makes your company seem more professional and helps convert callers into customers.

If you do offer emergency services or may need to speak with customers during non-business hours, 24/7 service is essential to your customers’ satisfaction.