A Better Answer Blog

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, there are a lot of options out there for businesses that receive inbound calls.

The only question is, which ones are most popular? Which ones do businesses request the most? To answer both of these, here is a list of the top five most popular services from an answering service (as well as the other names they go by).

1. Telephone Answering Services

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

It’s no surprise that having your phone answered is the No. 1 most-requested service of an answering service! Most answering services have many additional features when it comes to taking a message for you, starting with the fact they can record your incoming calls.

They can also 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, perhaps you have a list of people who you want always be transferred directly to you. An answering service can even call you every morning for a wake-up reminder!

2. Bilingual Answering Services

AKA: Spanish Answering Service, Spanish-English Answering

Spanish answering services are always popular, especially for businesses in the Southwest. Throughout the country, many companies have a Spanish-speaking customer base, so there’s a major growing need for bilingual Spanish-English telephone receptionists. An answering service can provide this.

3. Order-Taking Services

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. There are also smaller businesses with a few products to sell that just don’t have the resources to do it all themselves. By having an answering service handle your payment processing, it becomes substantially easier to get your information and products out there!

4. Customer Service

AKA: Customer Care

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, which is why it’s a service sought after by companies who want a great relationship with their clients and customers.

5. Appointment Scheduling

AKA: Reservation Taking, Meeting Scheduling, Service Appointment Scheduling

Call centers use appointment scheduling to set, track and organize appointments and meetings for any business that works around a schedule. Operators can schedule appointments for lawn care services, attorneys, restaurants (as reservations), doctors, freelance workers, beauty industry businesses and more. The great advantage to using an answering service for scheduling appointments is that you can focus on your business. Calls centers can even add new appointments and clients to your calendar and keep it current without then need to hire a secretary.

For more information on these popular services and all the other services we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us today!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2012 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.