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.

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.

Click here to read more...

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.

Read More...

Tampa Business Owners: AnswerFirst Can Help Your Business Survive The 2012 RNC

The Republican National Convention is being held in Tampa, FL beginning August 27, 2012.

More than 50,000 people are expected to visit Tampa for the convention and while many local businesses will benefit from the additional tourism other businesses will be forced to close their doors or figure out a way to operate remotely because road closures and traffic will make it impossible for them to function normally. 

AnswerFirst's Center of Operations is located just outside of downtown Tampa and will remain open during the RNC.  The majority of our call center staff works remotely and will not be affected by the congestion that the convention will bring.  If you think your business will be affected, it's not too late to set-up an account with us so that we can help you handle your business communications during the week of the convention.

For more information, please visit this page of our website: Use An Answering Service During the 2012 RNC or call us at 1-800-645-2616.

AnswerFirst: The Most Cost Effective Way to Handle Your Business Communications

AnswerFirst agents can handle your inbound emails and incoming phone calls to your specifications for much less than the price of hiring a receptionist.  Here are some of the benefits of choosing AnswerFirst as your customer service solutions provider:

• We offer one simple rate plan: pay as you go and only for what you actually use.
• Respond to your clients 24/7/365 for less than the cost of a full-time receptionist.
• We don't charge additional fees for nights, weekends and holidays.
• No monthly or yearly contracts.

We provide answering services, call center solutions, inbound email processing and customer service solutions for businesses in every industry.  

Want more info about what we can do for your business? 
Visit our website to download a free pricing and plans packet or call us at 1-800-645-2616.

Attention Laywers & Law Offices: Need A Live Agent?

Does your law office need a live agent?

Are you guilty of...

• sending your clients' calls to voice mails?
• neglecting your phone after-hours?
• misplacing phone numbers and messages?
• letting emails pile up in your inbox?

We provide 24/7/365 Answering Services, Inbound Email Processing, Virtual Receptionist Services, Appointment Scheduling and Customer Service Solutions.

Download our free document, Costly Mistakes Lawyers Make at www.answerfirst.com/Lawyers

Contact us today for more information about what we can do for your law office, 1-800-645-2616, or visit www.answerfirst.com/pricing

AnswerFirst's Receptionists Can Do Anything!

AnswerFirst live receptionists can do anything!

Our U.S. based live agents are awesome at:

• taking phone messages and sending them to you in whatever format you choose
• providing customer service to your clients
• scheduling appointments
• acting as an extension of your business
• giving your clients directions to your location
• answering your inbound emails and phones 24/7/365... yes, even on holidays and weekends

...and a lot more! 

Call us or visit our website today for more information about what our agents can do for you and your business: 1-800-645-2616 or AnswerFirst.com

Avoid the Sting of Bad Customer Service!

Reliable & Cost Effective Customer Service Solutions for Any Business!

• Eliminate the loss of important revenue generating calls
• Answer with a human, not a machine
• Respond to time sensitive emails
• Be available day and night
• Free yourself with more time; focus on your business
• No long-term contracts; simply pay-as-you-go
• Recordings and reports at your fingertips

We provide answering services, call center solutions, inbound email processing and customer service solutions for businesses in every industry.  

Want more info about what we can do for your business? 
Visit our website to download a free pricing and plans packet or call us at 1-800-645-2616.

Use An Answering Service To Improve Your Customer Service

There's no excuse for foul customer service!

Consistent, prompt responses to your business communications lead to happy customers, business growth and a reputation of great customer service for your business.

Our Motivation 

We only collect a $20.00 base rate up-front; we actually have to answer your calls and respond to your emails to earn any additional money. This makes us HIGHLY motivated to answer every inbound communication in a timely and professional manner. Services that make you pay upfront for a package of calls, minutes or units do not have this same level of motivation because they’ve already been paid. At AnswerFirst, a lost call from one of your customers tired of waiting in a hold queue means potential lost revenue for you and guaranteed lost revenue for us.

Total Dedication to Delivering Results

• Prompt and Professional Responses
• Agents With Customer Service Experience
• Dedicated Dispatch Operators
• Reliable and Redundant Infrastructure

Services Include:

• 24/7 Live Answering Service
• Answering Services
• Inbound Email Processing
• Virtual Receptionist
• Online Order Fulfillment
• Call Center Solutions
• Technical Support
• Scheduling & Reservation

Value:

• Pay Only For What You Use
• Free Client Web Access Portal
• Full Unlimited Access to All of Your Call Recordings & Reports
• Redundant Power, Data & Telephony Infrastructures for 99% Uptime

Try us before you buy at www.AnswerFirst.com/demo

Looking for more info? Download a free Pricing & Plans Packet at www.AnswerFirst.com/pricing

Evaluate 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.

AnswerFirst Reveals Their New Brand Identity

We're happy to announce that we have finally revealed our new brand identity.  Our new logo, website, sales documents and social media presence can be seen at the following locations:

Logo and Website: http://www.answerfirst.com

Sales Documents: Please fill out a pricing packet request at http://www.answerfirst.com/pricing

Social Media: Visit us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Do you like what you see?  Let us know!  Leave comments on this blog post or on our social media channels.  For more information about our answering services, virtual receptionist services and call center solutions visit us

AnswerFirst Communications: Your Valentine's Day Answering Service

Looking for an answering service or call center? We can help! Contact us today at 1-800-645-2616.

Inside AnswerFirst: The Marketing Department

At AnswerFirst our management staff is split into four departments: Operations, Sales, Marketing and IT.  Each department is responsible for specific duties that are crucial to the success of the other departments and AnswerFirst, as a whole.  Through collaboration and focus these four departments are consistently successful at achieving our mission to provide the best customer service to our clients and our clients’ callers, in a timely fashion and as efficiently as possible.  This post is one of a few blog posts that are about the responsibilities of each of these four main departments and how they interact with each other to make AnswerFirst successful.  Introducing the AnswerFirst Marketing Department...

The goal of the Marketing Department is to develop new and innovative ways to connect with existing and potential AnswerFirst customers.  Marketing is responsible for how potential clients perceive AnswerFirst before they speak to an AnswerFirst Sales Representative and, therefore, is focused on distributing professional, informative, appealing and engaging content across all media including social, web and print.  This department is responsible for teaching potential clients how we are different from our competitors while teaching existing clients about old and new services that we offer.  We are an industry leader in social media with our active Twittter, Facebook and YouTube accounts; we encourage our clients to interact with us via any or all of our social channels.  We believe that interaction with our clients helps to solidify our relationships and leads to superior customer service experiences.  The Marketing Department also develops and implements Internet marketing strategies, working closely with the Sales Department for the purpose of bringing new clients to AnswerFirst and also teaching sales team members how to effectively use social media in their sales efforts. Marketing relies on the IT Department for implementing technology solutions that result in improved marketing agendas and more efficient social and Internet marketing strategies.  The Marketing Department acts as eyes and ears of AnswerFirst; without the Marketing Department we can’t attract new clients or differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

For more information about AnswerFirst's answering services and call center solutions, please visit our wesbite http://www.answerfirst.com or call us at 1-800-645-2616

Inside AnswerFirst: The IT Department

At AnswerFirst our management staff is split into four departments: Operations, Sales, Marketing and IT.  Each department is responsible for specific duties that are crucial to the success of the other departments and AnswerFirst, as a whole.  Through collaboration and focus these four departments are consistently successful at achieving our mission to provide the best customer service to our clients and our clients’ callers, in a timely fashion and as efficiently as possible.  This post is one of a few blog posts that are about the responsibilities of each of these four main departments and how they interact with each other to make AnswerFirst successful.  Introducing the AnswerFirst IT Department...

The goal of the IT Department is to ensure that all AnswerFirst staff and clients have access to the IT infrastructure, services and support that they require to accomplish their work efficiently and effectively.  The IT Department is responsible for maintaining the necessary IT infrastructure for all other departments, as well as supporting all business, e-business, decisions and project planning tools used at AnswerFirst.  AnswerFirst’s business model requires a reliable infrastructure; our call center is open 24/7/365 and downtime is unacceptable to us and our clients.  Therefore, the IT Department plays a crucial role in supporting our clients and our Operations Department via the implementation of a fully redundant infrastructure that is not only reliable but secure. Implementing back-up systems for back-up systems is common practice and testing fail over procedures is a major department focus.  Also, the IT Department must work closely with all departments for the purpose of refining all business processes through the use of technology; IT is constantly looking for ways to decrease costs by increasing efficiency and ROI, and boosting productivity of all departments within the corporation.  The IT Department is the backbone of AnswerFirst, providing reliable structure and solid support; without this department AnswerFirst can’t sustain or grow.

For more information about AnswerFirst's answering services and call center solutions, please visit our wesbite http://www.answerfirst.com or call us at 1-800-645-2616

Happy Thanksgiving from AnswerFirst!

AnswerFirst provides answering services and call center solutions to more than 1400 companies around the globe but what sets AnswerFirst apart from other services? Our call center is staffed with U.S. agents 24/7/365 and a manager onsite at all times so that our clients receive the same level of service that we provide their callers. We hope you enjoy this AnswerFirst Minute (by Vivienne Brown http://www.VivienneBrown.com) and ... 

Happy Thanksgiving from AnswerFirst!http://www.answerfirst.com 1-800-645-2616

Answering Service Blair Witch Project Parody : Happy Halloween from AnswerFirst

AnswerFirst provides answering services and call center solutions to more than 1400 companies around the globe but what sets AnswerFirst apart from other services? Our call center is staffed with U.S. agents 24/7/365 and a manager onsite at all times so that our clients receive the same level of service that we provide their callers. We hope you enjoy this Blair Witch Project Parody about our call center (by Vivienne Brown http://www.VivienneBrown.com) Happy Halloween from AnswerFirst! http://www.answerfirst.com 1-800-645-2616

AnswerFirst Answering Services Booth at the Florida Bar Midyear Meeting in Orlando

AnswerFirst Answerin Services Booth at the Florida Bar Midyear Meeting in Orlando, a photo by AnswerFirst on Flickr.

AnswerFirst Communications is currently attending the Florida Bar Midyear Meeting at the Walt Disney World Resort Hilton in Orlando, Florida.

The organized bar in Florida began in 1889 with a small group of lawyers but officially became the Florida Bar in April of 1950. Today, the bar is a statewide professional organization of lawyers that serves as a guardian for the integrity of the legal profession; the Bar also serves an advocate and intermediary for attorneys, the court and the public. The Midyear Bar Meeting is an annual gathering of bar members including lawyers, judges and other legal professionals; the event provides committees, bar members and sections an opportunity to meet midyear to carry out goals, while also serving as a networking and educational environment for members and other attendees. AnswerFirst is attending the 2011 Florida Midyear Bar Meeting as an exhibitor with the intention of marketing their answering services to the hundreds of attorneys at the meeting.

Teri Erickson, Business Development Coordinator at AnswerFirst said, “Legal professionals are a large part of our client base because our services are a perfect fit for their business models; we help their businesses run more efficiently while reducing their operating costs. The Florida Bar Midyear Meeting is the second largest bar-wide meeting and our attendance provides us with the opportunity to introduce our company and services to more than 1,000 attorneys and legal professionals.”

AnswerFirst Communications, Inc. is based in Tampa, FL and provides answering services, virtual receptionist and call center solutions to more than 1400 customers around the globe. For more information about AnswerFirst's answering service and call center solutions please visit their website or call Teri Erickson at 1-800-645-2616.

AnswerFirst Answering Service Vs. Automated Answering Services (IVR)

AnswerFirst provides answering services and call center solutions to more than 1400 companies around the globe but what sets AnswerFirst apart from other services? Our call center is staffed with U.S. agents 24/7/365 and a manager onsite at all times so that our clients receive the same level of service that we provide their callers. Talk to a real person instead of a robot. http://www.answerfirst.com 1-800-645-2616.

AnswerFirst Help Desk & Customer Service Solutions

AnswerFirst Help Desk Administration Rack Card Artwork (Front), a photo by AnswerFirst on Flickr.

We provide call center solutions to software companies, hardware resellers, Internet service providers, hosting companies, telephone companies and many other businesses in the information technology industries. Our agents are your front-line of communication providing affordable customer service in a professional and efficient manner.

Level 1 Help Desk Support

• Trouble Ticket Management
• Inbound Email Alert Processing
• Dispatch Services
• Utilize Your Existing Web Portal

Focused Customer Service Solutions

• Our Agents Listen & Record Issues In Detail
• Custom Business Processes
• Superior Customer Service Experiences
• Call Escalation & Urgent Call Handling Services

AnswerFirst is based in Tampa, FL and provides answering services, appointment scheduling, reservation taking, technical support, customer care, order entry and contact center solutions to more than 1400 businesses in many industries throughout the world. For more information about their services visit their website or contact Teri Erickson at 1-800-645-2616.

Small Business Answering Services

Running a small business is challenging.

Bills need to be paid, money has to be collected, products need to be shipped, customer service issues need to be addressed and that’s not all… someone has to answer the phone. Whether you are a freelance artist or a small group of friends that decided to open a coffee shop your customers deserve top-notch service. When you team up with AnswerFirst Answering Service you receive the following value-added small business answering services:

• Virtual Receptionist: Available when you need us (24/7/365) on all holidays and weekends; our call center is staffed with U.S. agents that are trained to take your customers’ calls in a courteous and professional manner.
• Messaging Services: Sometimes your callers need to speak with you even when you’re not available. Our agents take accurate and detailed messages that can be delivered to you in more than one way: fax, email, SMS text, scheduled email or fax summary and more.
• Call Patching & Paging: Are you expecting an important call but don’t want to answer every phone call in the meantime? Our agents will screen your calls and when your important call comes through we’ll page you or patch the call directly to your cell phone or whatever number you provide us.
• Appointment Scheduling: Our agents can manage and update your calendar so that your clients can schedule meetings with you in time slots that you specify.
• After-hours Answering Services: Our call center is always open and our agents are always ready to take your calls. Forward your phones when you’re done for the day and we’ll take care of the rest.
• Order Entry: Our operators can help guide your customers through your website to place orders or we can take their orders over the phone.
• Technical Support: Our technical support representatives will field your first-level support calls transparently, as though they work directly for your company. Our agents can be trained to answer technical questions about your product or service, log trouble tickets, issue registration keys and more.

Call us today at 1-800-645-2616, or sign-up now. AnswerFirst’s live telephone answering service solutions will redefine what you expect from a telephone answering service.