Thursday, April 19, 2012

Evaluate Answering Services Before You Buy!

Compare Answering Services Before You Buy
Shopping for an answering service can be tricky because not all services are equal.  Hidden fees, unreliable infrastructures, outsourcing to non-U.S. agents and limiting access to your call recordings are just a few of many issues that an answering service or call center might have and, if you're not careful, you can end up stuck in a long-term contract with exorbitant bills and unreliable sub-standard service.

So, how can you avoid choosing the wrong service?  We've put together a list of more than 30 questions that you can utilize to compare answering services.  Here are just a few of the questions you should ask any answering service that you are considering:
  • Does your normal rate include answering on holidays, weekends or nights?
  • Can I forward my phones any time I wish without penalty or additional charges?
  • In the event of a power outage, will the service continue to function?
  • Is my account data protected by a firewall and backed-up daily?
(You can view the rest of the questions by clicking here.)

If you choose an unreliable or unprofessional answering service, you risk upsetting your existing and potential clients so take your time and ask questions.  If you're looking for more information about AnswerFirst and our answering services then click here to download our free pricing and information packet.