Phone answering providers give other businesses a much-need service to better manage their company, calls, and customer service. Unfortunately, not all answering service providers are managed well and services or common practices can be lacking.
When looking for a phone answering service provider, there are a few things that should raise a red flag for you. CallStar® has received the ASTI Award of Excellence, a major industry-honored award, for the last 17 years, so we have a good idea of practices that work well and are appreciated by our clients and practices that should be avoided.
Call answering service providers typically bill per minute or by call volume (a flat rate per call answered). Those that bill per minute should not bill you a full minute for calls lasting under 45 seconds—or rounding up a call’s time as a means to bill more. CallStar® works on a by-volume billing schedule, so even when you have chatty callers, you are only billed for the call, not the time it takes to care for your customers. If your phone answering provider is not accurately billing, this should be a reason to shop around for a new provider.
It is a common industry practice for call answering service providers to handle weekend, late night, and holiday calls for businesses. Our purpose is to help companies to provide better customer service, such as by expanding hours of communication. Since this is a common practice, you shouldn’t be billed more for something we are all offering. CallStar® does not charge any extra solely because a call came in the evening, over the weekend, or on a holiday.
With any answering service, your calls should not be entering a queue. The point of an answering service is to handle your calls, even during peak times of business. CallStar® has the staffing to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes and we answer each call on the first ring. We don’t let your customers wait to be served.
It is important for you to know how and how well your customer or client calls are being handled. If your answering service provider does not record the calls or allow you access to the recordings, how can you be sure your calls are being handled in the manner you wish them to be? CallStar® records each call, and you can review the recordings whenever you want.
The primary goal of using an answering service is to manage your calls and provide customer service to those trying to communicate with your business. If your answering service provider cannot be available to take calls, why are you using them? CallStar® is open every day of the week, all day. We have multiple shifts to cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we are open even on major holidays.
Your answering service provider should be representing your company to the fullest—in customer service and in values. Call or send us a message if you feel your current provider is not fulfilling your business needs or the needs of your callers.
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