While answering services are a popular solution for both small and large businesses, myths and misinformation about these services can lead to business leaders having some faulty assumptions about what they should expect when retaining one of these services.
Myth: An Answering Service Can Always Provide Full-Service Customer Support To Your Callers
A common assumption about using an answering service can be that they will be able to provide callers will full-service support. In reality, the assistance that these services can offer will be catered to your needs. They will primarily serve to ensure that the message that the customer is leaving can be clearly understood, as well as projecting professionalism for callers to your business. In some cases, the answering service may be able to provide call and appointment scheduling, but this will vary based on the particular answering service that you retain. Additionally, your calendar and scheduling system will need to be compatible with the service if they are able to effectively see the available time slots.
Myth: Answering Services Only Forward An Audio Recording Of The Call
There are many methods of delivery that answering services can utilize in order to relay the messages that they take to your business. Some of these services will forward recordings of the calls that were made. However, it is also a common practice for these services to provide transcripts of the calls as well. A written transcript can avoid situations where you are unable to hear the message due to a poor connection or other malfunctions. This will also make it easier to process a large number of calls, as you will be able to easily scan them to prioritize the messages based on their importance.
Myth: An Answering Service Will Delay Your Receipt Of The Messages
For many businesses, being able to quickly respond to messages and calls from customers or clients can be essential. It can be understandable to assume that an answering service will delay your receipt of these messages. However, most answering services will relay these messages as soon as they are received. If speed is an extremely important factor in your choice of answering service, you should be mindful that some methods of message delivery can simply take longer than others. For example, a service that simply faxes a transcript to your business may take several minutes longer to relay these messages than a service that uses email or online portals to provide instant access to the messages.
For more information about answering services, contact a local company.
