Wednesday, 8 May 2013

Top 5 Performance Metrics for your Telephone Answering Service

Top 5 Performance Metrics for your Telephone Answering Service
Answering Your Companies Important Calls Professionally
A Telephone Answering Service is one of the best innovations that have helped companies improve their first contact systems. The first impression that any client or customer receives about a service is based upon the first phone call he or she makes to the company or the provider. The response that they receive, the ease and efficiency with which the information is communicated, all these will determine their own initial judgements about the quality of the organisation they are dealing with.

A Professional Telephone Answering Service is basically an outsourced service, where all telephone calls are routed through another agency that works with complete knowledge about the recipient company. They not only answer the initial queries, but they can also transfer the calls to the company directly if further input is required or simply take a message on their behalf. Whether it is an SME or a large conglomerate, a telephone answering solution exists that will serve their requirements. There are many benefits which accrue from the use of a Telephone Answering Service, and all of them are the reason why it makes sense to employ an outsourced solution of this nature.

1. Coverage and Value-addition

A 24/7 service is provided by most Telephone Answering Services. This makes it easier for their clients, since it frees up their valuable resources and they do not have to set up the infrastructure or provide for the increased number of employees who will work for them. The Answering Service employees are trained by the outsourced company, the infrastructure is theirs, and above all they make sure that high quality of service is maintained throughout.

2. Conversational

A recent survey has shown that over 65 % of the people do not like to leave messages with a voicemail. They prefer to deal directly with a real person and the best way to make sure that this happens is by having every call answered through a Call Centre. The person answering the phone is conversant with all the information required, is able to give clear and concise answers, and is also able to contact the right person, if further action is required.

3. Costs

A Pay As You Go Telephone Answering Service will keep costs well within the budget of the client. They are assured of the fact that each call will be responded to and that they will only pay for the costs incurred according to the number of calls received. A Cheap Telephone Answering Service will always be worth the cost since in the long run; it improves first impressions, improves efficiency and leaves a good impression on the caller.

4. Holistic

There are many companies that employ Telephone Answering Services. These range from small companies that would like to make sure that every call is attended, to larger firms that have to deal with a lot of different types of customers and clients, anytime of the day or night. Whether it is a medical facility dealing with calls 24/7 or a new small business seeking clients and hoping that each one of them gets a prompt response, all of them need a good and reliable Telephone Answering Service.

5. Professionalism

Telephone Answering Services make sure that their employees are well-trained and also know everything about the companies they are working for. They are not only trained in answering the phone calls, but they also know how to deal with fussy customers and irritated callers. They are also able to judge the unimportant or pesky callers, and make sure that they weed them out. At no point is the telephone service left unattended, since they have a commitment towards providing 24/7 service. In an office, there will always be moments when the receptionist could be away from her desk or on leave, potentially leaving important calls going unanswered. This scenario can easily be avoided by using a Telephone Answering Service.

Conclusion

There is a general misconception that Telephone Answering Services are expensive. This is not true, since the kind of service they provide, the level of work-related queries they handle and above all, the long term costs they save for their clients makes this kind of service worth the price. The pay per call telephone answering system is always beneficial for any small or medium company.