Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q. I do not always have time to retrieve my messages via phone. Is there any other way I can get my messages?

A. Yes, in fact customized message retrieval is just one of the unique facets of Answering Service Care.  As a client, you have the option of calling in for your messages, logging into your client page to view your messages, having your messages sent individually or as bulk mail to your email, fax, Blackberry, or text message receiver.  Then, you can create a paperless database to document all of your messages , leads, and appointments electronically. You can obtain your messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year! All message retrieval is custom tailored to meet your needs. Answering Service Care allows for customization at every level of your answering service. If at anytime, day or night, weekday or holiday or weekend,  you notice any facet of your answering service plan that does not meet all of your needs, just call an Answering Service Care agent, and they will help to create a plan that is best for you.

 

Q. I am interested in keeping my answering service rates to the bare minimum.  How can I minimize my expenses?

A.  As an Answering Service Care client, you deserve the most efficient answering service for the most cost effective price.  Call and speak to our trained sales agents, who can assist you in picking a plan that works best for your company. We will track your call volume and the length of your personalized script and try to scale down wherever possible.  It is important to remember that hiring a 24x7 answering service saves thousands that would be otherwise spent on a 40-hour-a-week receptionist, and that Answering Service Care takes tremendous efforts to keep your prices as low as possible. 

Throughout your time as a client, Answering Service Care will track your business and will alert you if you are going significantly over or under your contract. This allows us to save you money by changing your plan, rather than charge you overages or charge you for too big a plan. Many companies do not offer this intimate focus on your business and will continue to raise your rates without your knowledge. Answering Service Care strives to eliminate "surprise" bills.

Q.  I remember the last big storm shut down much of the telephone services in South Florida for a few days. I have clients all over the country and do not want to lose days worth of business due to natural disaster. How can I be assured that my answering service will not shut down in the next storm?

A. Answering Service Care has taken great steps in ensuring that our business does not close during a storm.  We have emergency plans in place, as well as backups, battery power, and off-grid power generators that can sustain the office and the answering service for weeks after a storm. 

We also have remote agents and Answering Service Care by Global Response offices in Michigan and Pennsylvania that we can transition calls to if needed. Thus, the question may arise from our associates and clients in the North, "What if we have a terrible snow storm or icy roads and can't get to work?" Global Response will handle--and re-route if necessary--all of these calls, as we know that your businesses should not shut down due to foul weather conditions.  Rest assured that Answering Service Care has your company covered, rain, snow, or shine.

Q. My last answering service couldn't pronounce the names of many of our clients and sometimes even pronounced MY name wrong!! This created a poor image of our company and many of our customers knew that we were using off-site receptionists. I really want to give my customers that in-office, personal touch. What can your answering service do for me to ensure that all names are pronounced correctly?

A.  Businesses like yours cannot afford to have their answering service receptionists mispronounce names. That's why at Answering Service Care, we train our agents to always pronounce names correctly.  The recommended answer phrase includes the use of an initial recorded greeting, which can be in client's own voice, or professionally recorded.  This provides service assurance that the phone will be answered immediately, and the company name always sounds accurate and professional.  After the prerecorded message plays, a friendly, courteous live answering service agent will continue the call and complete the message.  This sequence of the call flow further promotes trust and reassurance in your company, because  the customer feels as if our agents are sitting in the same office as you are.

We also supply all agents with a phonetic spelling of every name and technical term in their database.  When we first start your service, we ask for a list of names and terms that are commonly mispronounced, so that we can create phonetic lists for our agents. We understand that different industries use different terminology, so we train our agents to understand what you do and terms you may use. We strive to familiarize them with any complex language, so that they sound knowledgeable and competent--like an in-house receptionist--and not like an average answering service. Answering Service Care strives to exceed all of your expectations, which includes pronouncing every single name correctly, every single time.

Anything less than perfect pronunciation builds doubt in the eyes of your customers.  Correct pronunciation helps to facilitate confidence and respect between you and your customer.  At Answering Service Care we believe mispronunciation is a dishonor to you and your company, so we do all we can to ensure that we honor your name.

Q. I am not sure if my company is ready for outsourcing to an answering service. How do I know what will work best for my team?

A.  Many business owners tell us that they are often distracted by tasks that keep them from getting the profitable aspects of their business done.  We suggest to business owners that if any of the following considerations meet aspects of their businesses, then they should think about outsourcing to an answering service. 

• Is the job more cost effective to give to an answering service then it is to hire in-house?

• Are the menial tasks detracting from your skilled employees time? Can an answering service handle these tasks for you?

• Is the need for service cyclical or is it a consistant influx of tasks?

• Is the task so routine that an answering service can handle it, but takes up time from your trained professionals that could be spent doing other tasks?

• Are you trying to stream-line your budget and could use a reduction in in-house staff?

• Does your business operate 24x7, in multiple regions, on weekends, on holidays, during foul weather,  or with multiple languages?  Do you have peak overflow times that you only wish you had more hours in the day for?

Outsourcing to an answering service can assuage all of these issues. It will also reduce your expenses, as hiring an answering service is much less expensive and time consuming than hiring a full-time receptionist.  An off-site receptionist does not need training, employee benefits, and other overhead expenses. It will also free up your skilled staff from doing receptionist duties.  This will increase your overall productivity and profitability.  Answering Service Care offers 24x7, 365 day, multilingual, professionally trained, live receptionists.  You can't go wrong with our exceptionally customized answering service.