Here are some tips for hiring the right answering service for your business.
If you Google search “answering services,” you will likely find more results than you expected. While it’s great having so many options, knowing which is right for you might be overwhelming. There are plenty of reasons to choose one over another. Many of them are valid, but the best answering service for your business is the one that directly answers your needs. Here are some tips for hiring the right answering service for your business.
An Answering Service Should Have Experience in Your Industry
Does this potential answering service specialize in your industry? If they do, chances are you can take advantage of some best practices from their years of experience. It also means you will not have to bring them up to speed on basic tasks for your industry when handling your calls.
For example, if you run a medical practice, they should be familiar with all the ways to escalate a call, such as:
- Should it go to the triage on-call?
- How do you want your doctors contacted?
- Should they be patched or securely texted?
- Should your callers be reminded that if the call is an emergency, they should call 911?
These are just examples of ways an answering service familiar with your industry will better serve you.
See How Long They Have Been in Business
An older answering service is better equipped to deal with changes in the industry internally and externally. For example, storms and bad weather are sudden changes most consider “undesirable” yet are unprepared for. If you’re a property manager, you wouldn’t want your phones unanswered during a storm. Your residents would call in with questions, some even in a crisis!
An answering service that has been in the industry longer knows that disaster preparedness is essential in an emergency. One way to ensure continuity is by confirming that the answering service has a back-up power solution. That way, you can ensure your business can take calls during emergencies.
Consider What Kind of Services You Need
Some services might opt you into plans with features that are not important to your business. That doesn’t make those features a scam – they are just irrelevant to your current needs.
Ask yourself if you need services like appointment scheduling or integration with your CRM. Some features like voicemail prescreen can be added to your service for free, depending on your answering service. Remember, with most answering services, you can opt back into these services at any time, so don’t feel pressured to sign up for anything!
Contact TeleRep Today!
If you are ready to install a call center service for your business, TeleRep is here to help. If you still have more questions, our trained professionals are ready to answer them. We know how important customer feedback is to you and your business, so let them know that you care with an answering service. To learn how TeleRep can help you today, visit us online or give us a call at 1-800-638-2000. To keep up with our work and to see what we have been up to, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.