Answering Services for Small Businesses: Saving you Time, Stress and Sanity!

Today I just happened to stumble on this article by Business Insider: Small Business Owners More Stressed Than Ever: 3 Tech Tips That Can Help. It made me chuckle because while we’ve known that hiring an answering service will help a small business owner save time by delegating tasks they’d normally be doing themselves, we just wrote and uploaded a whitepaper on just how helpful it is to your productivity to do so! You can read our report here!

Here’s an excerpt from Business Insider’s article:

The survey of 1,000 small business owners found three-fourths of the respondents report physical symptoms of work-related stress. Those symptoms include headaches, back pain, and anxious thoughts. Most cited a fear of losing their business and losing clients as a cause of their stress. The economy has taken its toll on many small business owners, who are feeling more pressure than ever to keep things going.

Top 5 Most Popular Services from an Answering Service

While many call centers and phone answering services offer a wide range of services from basic call handling and after hours support to web applications and order entry, we’ve logged our most requested and most popular services we offer and came up with this list of the top 5 most popular services from an answering service and the other names they go by.

Telephone Answering Services

AKA: Inbound Call Service, After Hours Answering Service, Phone Answering Service

No surprise here that having your phone answered is the number one most requested service of an answering service! Most answering services have many additional features when it comes to taking a message for you: they can record your incoming calls, handle calls uniquely based on your instructions (say you want your phones answered differently and messages sent only once a day while you’re on vacation or a list of people who are to always be transferred directly to you), and even call you every morning for a wake up!

Bilingual Answering Services

AKA: Spanish Answering Service, Spanish-English Answering

Spanish answering services ranks high with us because our call centers are located through Texas. There is still a major growing need for bilingual Spanish-English telephone receptionists throughout the country and many companies have a Spanish speaking customer base.

Order Taking Service

AKA: Order Entry, True Call Center Services

Order taking services aren’t just for big catalog businesses or infomercials. There are many companies that use order taking to send out brochures and information as well as smaller businesses with a few products to sell that just don’t have the resources to do it all themselves. When payment processing is included, it becomes substantially easier to get your information and products out there!

Customer Service

AKA: Customer Care, Outsourcing by Large Customer Service

Regardless of the types of phone calls a telephone receptionist takes, at a good answering service, they are ALL trained to be as courteous, professional and helpful as possible. It’s no surprise that great customer service comes naturally to a call center and is a service sought after by companies who want a great relationship with their clients and customers.

Appointment Scheduling

AKA: reservation taking, meeting scheduling, service appointment scheduling

Appointment scheduling can be used to set, track, and organize appointments and meetings for any business that works around a schedule. We’ve scheduled appointments for lawn care services, attorneys, restaurants (as reservations), doctors, freelance workers, and beauty industry businesses. The great advantage to using an answering service to schedule appointments is that you can focus on working and your business, while new appointments and clients are added to calendar is always kept current and in sync without ever having to hire a secretary.

Not Just an Answering Service

If you liked the information in this post or learned something new, let us know in the comments! If you came here seeking information on call centers/answering services or are interested in hiring someone to handle your calls, you can also view the rest of our services, fill out a quote, or contact us directly!

Tips From an Answering Service: Using Your Voice

You can set the entire outcome of any call by how you sound: You can give a caller a high level of comfort or a high level of anxiety just with your voice!

The voice you project is determined by four factors: Energy, Rate of Speech, Pitch, and Quality. You have complete control of all of these factors and can change them to gain call control as well as create a professional environment between you and the caller.

Energy

Answering the phone with a smile and smiling often while talking during a call will help keep your energy level up and positive!

Energy reflects your attitude and your level of enthusiasm. Higher and positive energy will make your callers and customers feel like they are being listened to and will give them confidence that their message is being handled properly. Lack of energy translates into different meanings to the words we speak. It can make the secretary come off as indifferent and give the caller a sense that their message or issue is not of importance.

Rate of Speech

The normal rate of speech is 125 words per minute. A faster rate of speech creates the image you’re rushing to get rid of the caller of that the caller might not be able to understand what you are saying. A slower rate of speech creates the image to the caller that you do not know what you’re talking about OR that you’re talking down to them. BOTH conclusions reflect poorly on the operator and can cost you control of the call.

Pitch

The pitch of your voice (the height or depth in the tone of your voice) can also affect the way you are perceived by a caller. A monotone pitch, where there are no changes in the tone of your voice, is the most difficult to listen to for any long period of time (think Ben Stein as Ferris Bueller’s teacher). A High pitch wears on nerves very quickly and sounds unprofessional. Low pitch is the easiest to understand and listen to while ending sentences by bringing your voice up to a high pitch will immediately turn whatever you’re saying into a question instead of a statement.

Quality

All of the above combined makes up your unique personal voice profile. Maintaining a positive energy level, talking at the normal rate of speech while avoiding monotone and high pitches is something our virtual secretaries at A Better Answer utilize at all times. Remembering these voice control tips will guarantee that you or your telephone secretaries will sound professional and credible during any call! Your voice becomes your portrait and your signature on every call. Make sure you have complete control of all four aspects and you’re sure to impress any caller!

Cal Center Price vs Call Center Quality

Getting the cheapest price isn’t necessarily the best value for your business!

We all want to pay the least amount possible for nearly everything we want to buy, or else we’re interested in saving as much as we can.  In the answering service/call center business, we receive many inquiries about service, but in the end, everyone wants the cheapest price.  There is a rule my father told me over 50 years ago when I was a little girl in making a purchase: “Consider the best value – not the best or lowest price.” In his wisdom he added, “The quickest delivery, the highest quality and the cheapest price – you can’t get all three, but you can usually get two of them.”  (I think he borrowed this saying from a really smart businessman, but it is still really solid advice!)

Our nation has been suffering through a tough economic environment for the past several years. Some of our customers are experiencing tighter times than usual in their businesses, and, from time to time, they ask for a reduction in what they are currently paying for our call center services. Many times, it’s actually possible to reduce their answering service rates by adding one or more automated services rather than decreasing their live operator rate.

Other times, our customers are approached by any number of competing answering service bureaus or call centers who are trying to win their business.  Usually, these competitors offer a cheaper rate initially as an attractive reason to change.

Also, when larger corporations receive bids for outside answering services, they usually choose the call center with the cheapest rate.  The better decision, the value decision, would be to incorporate these factors:

• call handling accuracy
• call handling response time
• customer care and courtesy
• latest answering service technology

It reminds me of the quote by Astronaut John Glenn when asked what was going through his mind while awaiting liftoff. Glenn wryly replied, “I was thinking that the rocket had twenty thousand components, and each was made by the lowest bidder!” Our astronauts deserve better, and so does your company.

A Better Answer Call Centers (ABA) may not always be the lowest bidder, but we have been in business over 40 years by holding our staff to “quality messaging”. Our Telephone Service Representatives (TSR’s) are some of the best in the business, but their services come at a premium. ABA’s staff regularly attends webinars, seminars, and in-house training in order to keep their skills honed at the highest level. All TSRs are trained on all accounts before they actually handle any messaging live. TSRs are monitored daily to be sure all messages are top notch. ABA is also enrolled in quality assurance testing. We invite you to come to one of our offices, observe our call handlers in action, and observe our office walls which are covered with quality call handling awards – some of the highest in the industry.

It is not unusual, should we have lost a client to another service, to have them return back to us. They say, “Leaving ABA was the biggest mistake we have ever made.” Additionally, they will add, “I am so sorry we left you. We even lost some clients because they loved your telephone staff so much.”  It’s always a joy to welcome any customer back with open arms. A company that uses a second-rate call center will eventually experience “business laryngitis”… the loss of their professional “voice”.

In the end, when the final decision has been made, it’s high answering service quality, not low pricing, that wins the day and makes happy customers. An answering service is just that…a service, not a commodity. Not all call centers are created equal! We, and our customers, think ours is pretty special.

At A Better Answer, we want to always be our customers’ “Call Handling Heroes”.

How to Choose the Right Call Center for Your Business

In many ways, the customer call center is the heart of any business. It is often the first contact customers have with the company, and must be run efficiently and with the utmost professionalism. Utilizing an outside call center can save you money, and allow you to focus on running your business.  Call centers are as varied in function as the businesses that use them, and in order to choose the right center for your business, you must identify the needs specific to your company. Is your business large or small? What sort of call volume do you expect? Are the calls inbound and/or outbound? What customer service hours do you require? What types of clients do you serve – wholesale or retail? Whatever your requirements, there are a few questions to answer about a prospective call center’s service before signing an agreement to utilize their services.

• Does the customer call center offer bilingual services? Because America is a melting pot, this should always be a consideration in order to alleviate customer frustration and promote satisfaction.
• Does the call center company have any awards for customer service excellence? Customer service awards prove that a company is respected by others in the industry, and that it will represent your company in the best possible way when dealing with customers.
• Is it an American answering service or is it “off-shored”? Studies have shown that domestic answering services have better customer issue resolution, as well as higher rates of customer retention.
• Are there multiple locations? A service with multiple locations allows your business to grow and have location independence. Another benefit of having multiple locations is that if one is damaged by a natural disaster, calls can be rerouted to another
• Is there an emergency contingency plan in place in case of bad weather? Inclement weather can temporarily shut your business down, and it is important to know that your call center has a plan to handle this.
• How experienced are the customer service representatives? Customers often have significant contact with customer service representatives, and it is important to ensure that an accurate impression of your company is conveyed with warmth and professionalism.
• Does the service use live operators? Live operators offer a distinct advantage because they can immediately deal with any issues that arise for a customer. If you choose to use live operators, be sure to identify the style and feel that best represents your business.
• Are inbound and outbound services offered? Even if you are only using one of these now, it is good to know the capability exists for the other, should the right circumstances arise.
• What is the cost? A value-driven, affordable service is vital. Be sure you have a clear understanding of what you are paying for, and what will be the exact cost incurred before you sign and agreement.
• Does the call center utilize the latest technology? A major reason for a business to use an outside call center is because trying to keep up with rapidly evolving technology becomes too expensive for most businesses. In this scenario, employing a technologically progressive call center is a wise, cost-efficient strategy. An innovative service is a great partner to carry your business into the future.

The right call center can help increase your business’ profits exponentially. Whether you are looking for a customer call center or an answering service, A Better Answer is among the best in the business. With a collective one hundred and sixteen years of call center management, ABA’s managers oversee the delivery of over ten thousand messages daily to clients and customers. With an aggressive approach that matches technological advancement to the individual needs of each client, and an unsurpassed commitment to professionalism, ABA offers award-winning service poised to help you optimize your business. For more information, including a free personalized proposal for your company or office, please visit us at www.ABetterAnswer.com.

Answering the Call for 40 Years!

When I was a teenager, I was a speed demon on the manual typewriter and took Pittman shorthand in high school. At that time I wanted to become a court reporter when I grew up. I majored in English in High School and Business in college. So, in early 1971, when my ex-husband needed a manufacturer’s representative office, I felt I had all the skills I needed to open a small secretarial and answering service with a small office in the back for him—my version of an executive suite. On August 1^st, 1971 that small dream became a reality when we opened Keystone Park Secretarial & Answering Service.

The company began that day with 12 customers whom we had contacted who were already officed in the Keystone Park complex of buildings on Central Expressway and Spring Valley. Hard to believe it now, but we were only open from 8a-5p, Monday thru Friday. We started with a 20-button call directory (I was assured that it would last me a couple of years!) I did all the work by myself – from getting coffee for the walk-in customers, to making copies, to answering telephones and typing whatever needs my customers had.

Well, business grew… and grew very fast! Before 6 months went by, I had totally filled all the buttons on the call directory and now had to add a separate telephone for each new client. Before the switchboard was installed, I had black rotary dial telephones all over my desk. Each time one of those telephones rang, I had to jump up and throw myself over all of them in order to figure out which was ringing. What an amazing time! Finally, my new (vintage 1920 model) switchboard was installed and all my customers’ lines would ring into it. I thought of myself as a ‘baby’ Lilly Tomlin then. Once I reached 60 customers, I was forced to hire my very first part time telephone receptionist so I could deal with all the secretarial and other office business services I offered.

Over the next 5 years, we installed many concentrators in order to handle business outside of our telephone exchange area. Ultimately, it took more than 15 concentrators in order to handle the business, as well as a string of switchboards with many telephone secretaries. After 5 years in business, the marriage went south. The business was divided, but my answering service continued to thrive. I offered not only the standard business times of 8a-5p Monday-Friday, but also 8a-11p Monday-Saturday.

After successfully competing in the industry with my small service, I brought in the latest call handling equipment which allowed clients to call forward their telephone line to me. Our company was the fifth answering service in the United States to have this very wonderful equipment. I have always enjoyed all the bells and whistles in software and equipment services before my customers even thought they needed them. How nice it was to be ahead of the game!  After just 2 more years, I expanded my service to be operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It was at that point that I changed the name to “A Better Answer Telephone Answering Service”.

Ultimately, I operated 5 executive suites and 5 telephone answering service locations. As the need for executive suites lessened, more energy was focused on the answering service/call center business. I started each office single-handedly, and flew to them regularly. Over the years, technology progressed to the point that I was able to share calls between offices and offer specialized staffing in certain fields for all offices.  Later, I was able to trunk lines between offices and merge resources, and now I have 3 full service networked offices in Fort Worth, Houston and Dallas (Plano).  Over the past 40 years, each office was moved to a new location a minimum of 2 times, with equipment changing at least 3 times in each office.

Today, A Better Answer’s customers consist of a blend of call center clients, full range of clients in the medical field, as well as traditional telephone answering service customers. Electronic scripting has allowed all of our customers to have each of their lines answered according to their preferences, and provide personalized messages that contain special requests.

ABA Employees pose for a group shot with the boss!

We are proud of the fact that A Better Answer’s staff has an average of 15.5 years tenure, and each office manager has been with A Better Answer in excess of 30 years. The dedicated employees of A Better Answer have allowed the business to prosper and provide a solid future for everyone. I am extremely thankful to be alive and well so that I can celebrate these 40 years with all of them. A Better Answer Call Center is truly the Best!         – Dee Hawkins

What Happens to Your Customer Communication When There Is A Natural Disaster?

Floods, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, oh my! Did you know that Slate Magazine has already labeled the 21^st Century, “The Century of Disasters”? From the half-mile twister that recently tore through Joplin, MO. to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the flooding of the Mississippi River, and the tsunamis that have ravaged various places around the globe, natural disasters have dominated the headlines of our news for the past few years.

Currently, in Texas, we are in the middle of tornado season, and like it or not, there can be danger even at our answering service premises. Thankfully, at A Better Answer Call Centers, we’ve taken extra precautions, and have formulated emergency call center contingency plans, in order to do everything in our power to protect ourselves and the communication needs of our customers should any natural disaster take place.

At A Better Answer Call Centers, we have three (3) regional offices: Dallas/Plano, Fort Worth, and Houston. A tremendous advantage of using a call center with remote offices is that if a natural disaster occurs in one location, the other two bureaus can take over to handle customer calls with shared lines and staff.  A Better Answer also utilizes remote Telephone Service Representatives, or “TSRs”, who operate outside of these areas and can jump on to handle the increase of activity due to an influx of concerned callers checking on their families, friends and customers. Also, we’ve found that most of our clients forward their local phone lines using Telco call forwarding. Should that method fall off during a disaster, ABA can help get this reinstated for you to be sure that you lose no calls.

ABA is local to many of our customers, so we understand what’s really going on – your calls are safe and re-routed to another location in case you can’t answer for a few minutes, for a day or two, or maybe even longer. Our staff is trained to know our geographic areas. Foreign call centers can be at a serious disadvantage in such situations. We’ve observed in the past that it can be difficult for them to understand the impact of a local natural disaster and be flexible enough to make the necessary changes to handle the crisis. Business owners and managers deserve to be able to sleep at night knowing that their business calls are going to be answered and that business communications are safe and secure.

Finally, as part of our call center disaster plan, communication at A Better Answer is backed up with several uninterruptable power supplies, on-site generators, and back-up contracts with local generator suppliers. In addition, we’ve implemented a vendor “guarantee of re-distribution” of all calls if those emergency precautions fail.

With over 40 years of taking calls for our customers, A Better Answer Call Centers is your communication solution in natural disasters. Think of all the money a business could lose if no one was there to handle their calls! We think of ourselves as a “lifeline” for our clients and A Better Answer works very hard to be your “Call Handling Heroes” 24/7.

It’s Earth Day!: Going Green in the office tips and tricks!

Happy Earth Day! Today we are reminded of how great this planet we live on is, and that we need to do our part to take care of it. While making your office more environmentally friendly will obviously have a positive effect on the environment, a greener office can absolutely become profitable!

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips and tricks to help get you green initiative going!

A great article from Open Forum has a great list of ways to green up your office from more apparent tips like going paperless, turning off lights & computers (don’t forget to turn off the power strip!) To things you would never have thought about. Favorite less obvious tips: Stock reusable pens and Go Casual! (less suits mean less dry cleaning. More comfortable too!) Check out 30 Easy Ways to Go Green at the Office.

Take going green literally! Adding plants to the office improves air quality and can really improve decor at the office. The rule is have at least one 6 inch plant for every 100 sq feet. You’d expect to see ficus and spider plants, but did you know the Gerbera Daisy made the list of 12 Best Houseplants to Improve Indoor Air Quality?

What if you don’t have quite the green thumb yet? or your office is mostly cubicles? Then you’ll need to get a few plants from the list of 5 Overlooked Plants That Can Survive in the Dark (almost) for your green fix. There’s a surprise plant in here too, place a potted mint plant in your office and enjoy the fresh scent!

Here at A Better Answer, we’ve been working hard on becoming a more environmentally friendly business. We’re really proud of being paperless for 6 years and counting! Not only is it extremely easier to find exactly what you’re looking for, we use MUCH less paper. We recently installed Dyson airblades in our bathrooms. Our spending on paper towels is minimal and the dryers come with hepa air filters. Every time you use them, they clean the air! you can see what they’re all about (and how cool they are) here.

Our current work in progress is setting up an office recycling system. We always use the front and back of our paper, but as of now there’s no recycling program offered in our area. Right now we haul our recyclables out ourselves, but we hope to get a more efficient setup soon!

Let us know in the comments what you’ve been doing at your office! or if you’re wondering how to go paperless, ask away!

Telephone Industry Offering Their Services to aid with Japan Earthquake Crisis

Long Distance and Wireless Carriers are doing their part to connect American residents with the people they care about that may have been affected by the devastating earthquake in Japan on March 11.

Companies, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, Cox Communication, Comcast and Time Warner are offering services like text messaging, cell phone calls and land line calls free of charge, also crediting calls and texts from the day of the earthquake and some offering free services all the way through April 11. For a more comprehensive list of the services each carrier is offering, see Wichita Business Journal: Several carriers offer free calls to Japan.

The Google Crisis Response also has an extensive list of resources and hotline phone numbers to help with missing persons, damage reports, shelter information and realtime updates pertaining to the disaster.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by the disaster and our encouragement and confidence goes out to the many men and women telephone operators we know will handle each call and situation with great care.