We Were Sharing Before Sharing Was Cool

I have been raving about our shared agent answering service and its benefits for years now.

Today, everywhere I look I see new blog posts, books and articles about the rise of ‘the sharing economy’ and how it’s affecting the future of the business landscape. There are many very interesting reads with great messages and accurate depictions of the nature of the world economy today. I think to myself, great stuff. Innovative. Really, I love it. People are finally catching on to what we have been doing here at AnswerFirst since 1985 – providing an excellent, cost-effective, shared resource to people worldwide.

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Why Can’t You Just Offer Flat Rate Answering Service?

Nearly every day I am asked by potential clients why we do not offer any flat rate plans.

AnswerFirst has been in the answering service and contact center solutions industry for over 20 years. During this time we have determined that, while flat rate plans were great for AnswerFirst, they rarely benefited our clients. In fact, unless clients were able to forecast their usage perfectly, flat rate service never benefited them at all. The only perceived advantage was if they bought a call plan with more minutes or calls than they would ever use, then they always knew how much their bill was going to be each month.

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How AnswerFirst Answering Service Integrates With Check Appointments

Are you having trouble integrating appointment scheduling with your answering service without being forced to use their proprietary software?

No need to worry; there are many options available for your business. Prices and program ability vary depending on the number of people, locations and resources for which you wish to schedule.

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Tips for Finding the Right Answering Service for Your Business

There are many things you should consider when shopping for an answering service including reliability, service features, pricing structure, etc.  So, how do you know what topics to address during your search and how to find a service that will fit your particular business model?

In previous blogs I’ve mentioned that price is typically the first topic I am asked about when I speak with a potential new partner.  However, there are several more important items that should be addressed before discussing price because the cost of service does not matter if you discover the service is not a good fit for your needs.

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The Importance of Owning Your Business Toll-Free Number

Potential clients frequently ask me if we provide a toll-free number as part of our service.  

This is probably a common question because providing clients with toll-free numbers is common practice in the answering service industry. However, what most business owners don’t realize is that it is not good business practice to use the toll-free number an answering service provides, as your main business number.

There are several reasons why this practice is not a good idea, but one reason stands out above all the others ... read more.

How to Provide Top-Notch Customer Service During the Busy Holiday Season

Today’s customers expect nothing but the highest level of service, and during the holidays they are looking for even more enthusiasm and friendliness to spread the holiday cheer.

During the busy holiday shopping season it is even more important for businesses and customer service agents to maximize satisfaction for overwhelmed consumers.

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Show Your Customers You Care

Great customer service is the backbone of every consumer-oriented business.

At AnswerFirst, we’ve been perfecting the craft of customer service since 1985, and our clients know they can trust us to provide their customers with the highest quality of service. When it comes down to it, customer service is all about showing customers that you care. Everyone wants to feel valued, especially when they are spending their hard-earned money – customers want to feel appreciated for their patronage and loyalty.

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HIPAA & Answering Services: How Will This Change Our Service?

We have been talking a good deal lately, in our office meetings, about the new HIPAA “Omnibus” Rule and how it will affect the way we do business with medical professionals and facilities that handle Patient Health Information (PHI).

Under the new rules, it is not just the medical professionals and facilities responsibility to comply with HIPAA standards.  We, as the answering service, are also directly responsible for compliance. This means that any transmission of PHI, must be encrypted, on both sides.

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Feeling Overwhelmed By Your Inbox?

What if you could outsource your inbound email processing, the same way you outsource your inbound telephone calls?  Imagine, never having to worry about checking your email again?  In our technologically advanced climate, this seemingly impossible feat, has become a wonderful reality.

How Does It Work?

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Small Business Owners: Spend Less Time at the Office with These 4 Tips

Here at AnswerFirst, we work with small business owners and their customers 24/7.

Our clients save time and money by using our AnswerFirst answering services, but we know that they still spend countless hours devoted to their businesses.

With the following four time management tips, small business owners will find time to accomplish more business-related tasks, while also making time to enjoy life outside of work.

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Why We Don't Discount Our Services

Sometimes potential clients ask me to discount our answering services or our set-up fees as an incentive for them to do business with us.

I won’t say that I’ve never offered a reduced rate to a potential client because there are times when it makes sense to do so.  However, it’s very rare that I am willing to budge on price and I’ve got several reasons for this mentality.  Instead of explaining myself, I’m going to share a few emails that were exchanged between me and a potential client.

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What Happened to Customer Service in the Healthcare Industry?

I might be stating the obvious here, but it seems to me that businesses in the healthcare industry provide some of the worst customer service, ever.

Recently, I have dealt with several doctors' offices that take messages, but don’t return phone calls. I actually had one doctor's office tell me that the person that handled referrals was let go so they switched me into someone else’s voice mail that never called me back.

I wasn't even a patient yet and they were already dropping the ball.

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Happy Valentine's Day from AnswerFirst Answering Service

Are you tired of being tied to your office phone?? When you're ready to move on, give us a call at 1-800-645-2616 to learn about how our services can help set you free.

Our call centers are U.S. based and staffed with English speaking customer service professionals 24/7/365. No contracts or long-term commitment required. Pay only for what you use and no hidden fees. No additional charges for nights, weekends or holidays.

For more information, please download our Pricing & Info Packet: http://www.answerfirst.com/pricing or call us at 1-800-645-2616. 

Get Out of Your Office!

With the growth of social networking, advances in smart phone innovation and overall increased mobile computing capabilities it’s becoming nearly impossible to step away from our work.  Answering emails from your phone while you wait to meet with a prospective client, tweeting with customers while you ride the subway to a meeting and responding to your clients on Facebook while you’re having a drink at a bar are all becoming commonplace practices.

There’s no denying that internet and smartphone technologies have positively affected the way we do business by shortening the sales cycle and allowing us to build stronger relationships with our customers, but balancing work and personal time has become more difficult with the increased demand for responsiveness.

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AnswerFirst Communications Launches New Website to Market Phone Answering Services

AnswerFirst Communications, an international live telephone answering service and customer service solutions company specializing in answering services, messaging services, virtual receptionist and call center solutions announced this week that they’ve launched a new website to market the phone answering services segment of their professional contact center services.

According to their website, AnswerFirst, “provides complete contact center and customer service solutions to more than 1700 companies around the globe.” AnswerFirst’s Marketing Coordinator, April Gillmore, said, “Many of our clients know that we are a full-fledged contact center and that we actually provide many other services outside of live telephone answering services, including inbound email processing, social media monitoring and customized customer service solutions.

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AnswerFirst's New Call Center & Corporate Headquarters

AnswerFirst's New Call Center & Corporate Headquarters, a set on Flickr.

We're excited to announce that we've recently purchased a building to serve as the future location of our new Call Center and Corporate Headquarters. The building is located just outside of downtown Tampa in beautiful historic Ybor City. We've got a few months of work to do before we can move in, but we'll keep you updated with our progress here and on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/answerfirstinc

AnswerFirst Team Members Volunteer at Champions For Children 2012 Holiday Store

AnswerFirst Team Members Volunteer at Champions For Children 2012 Holiday Store, a set on Flickr.

The Champions For Children Holiday Store provides parents and caregivers who are in need of assistance during the holidays a place to “shop” for their children for free. Last year, 686 children and 290 families visited their Santa Workshops and selected new toys. The Holiday Store & Santa Workshops are made possible by businesses that sign-up to be donation box locations and ask their employees to help by getting involved, donating and volunteering. This year, 15 AnswerFirst team members participated in setting up and running the Holiday Store. It was a great experience and we're all looking forward to supporting Champions For Children and their Holiday Store for years to come!

What Makes A Really Good Sales Person?

Is being a good talker enough to make a good sales person?

We’ve all heard the saying, “you have the gift of gab, you should be in sales,” but is having the “gift of gab” really enough in today’s business climate?

Customer service expectations and the increased demand for (and availability of) information have changed the way the world does business.  Clients need to know that you are not just a vendor trying to make a quick dollar, but that you are committed to them. In fact, commitment is key.

Good business isn’t just about selling products anymore; it’s about forming trusted relationships, taking responsibility and selling something you passionately endorse.

An honest salesperson that knows what he/she is talking about!? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

Click here to read the rest of this blog post.

Our call centers are U.S. based and staffed with English speaking customer service professionals 24/7/365. No contracts or long-term commitment required. Pay only for what you use and no hidden fees. No additional charges for nights, weekends or holidays.

For more information, please download our Pricing & Info Packet: http://www.answerfirst.com/pricing or call us at 1-800-645-2616. 

This post contributed by +Teri Erickson 

Happy Holidays from AnswerFirst

Happy Holidays from AnswerFirst, a photo by AnswerFirst on Flickr.

Wishing all of our partners, clients and employees a safe & happy Holiday Season.

Our call centers are U.S. based and staffed with English speaking customer service professionals 24/7/365. No contracts or long-term commitment required. Pay only for what you use and no hidden fees. No additional charges for nights, weekends or holidays.

For more information, please download our Pricing & Info Packet: http://www.answerfirst.com/pricing or call us at 1-800-645-2616.

AnswerFirst Answering Service Wishes You A Happy & Safe Halloween

We'd like to wish you, your business and your family a safe and happy Halloween!!

AnswerFirst provides answering services, call center solutions, virtual receptionist services and complete customer service solutions to more than 1600 companies around the globe. To find out more about what AnswerFirst can do for your business, please email (sales@answerfirst.com), call (1-800-645-2616) or visit our website (http://www.answerfirst.com).