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.

Read more...

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.

Read More...

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. 

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.

Read More...

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).

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 Nominated For Tampa Bay Business Journal Fast 50 Awards

We're proud to announce that we've been nominated for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Fast 50 Awards!!

The TBBJ is the Tampa Bay area TBJ publication that circulates over 9000 printed publications each month while also receiving more than 175000 monthly visitors to their website.  The TBBJ holds 11 annual events including the Fast 50 Awards.  The Fast 50 is a list of the fastest growing privately held companies in Tampa Bay with rankings based on percentage of annual growth over a three year period.  Companies on the Fast 50 list must meet the following criteria: the company must be privately held and locally owned, it must be headquartered in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk or Sarasota counties, the company must have been in operation since 2008 or prior, and the company must have had annual revenue of at least $1 million in 2011 with no revenue requirement for the years 2009 and 2010 as long as revenue has grown each year.  Each year, the final rankings are revealed at an awards luncheon with the top 5 companies receiving special recognition.

Matt Herron, AnswerFirst’s CEO, stated, “The economy has been very weak these past few years, but we’ve been able to continually improve the efficiency of our business model, hire the right team members and invest in effective marketing techniques; these are just a few of the administrative decisions that have allowed us to grow in this rough economic climate.  I feel fortunate that we are able to employ people during a time when many Americans are out of work and I’m very proud of our entire team for making this nomination possible.”

If you'd like more information about AnswerFirst, our answering services or virtual receptionist solutions, visit our website or call us today at 1-800-645-2616.

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

Tips For Improving Customer Service

Providing excellent customer service should be a major priority for any business owner because happy customers are repeat customers. Here are a few basic tips that will help improve your customers' experiences with your business.

• Listen to your customers. This may seem like an obvious suggestion but so many business owners and managers get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of business management that they forget to pay attention to what their clients are saying.  In most instances, an unhappy customer will let you know that he or she is unhappy and a client that wants a product or service that you don't offer will say just that. Take these suggestions to heart.  Can you implement changes that meet your clients' needs?
• Do what you say you are going to do and do it on-time.  This is another obvious point.  Set your customers' expectations correctly and then deliver.  It doesn't matter if you sell widgets or repair cars, there is no easier way to upset clients then to not meet your commitments in a timely manner.  If you disappoint your clients, the only way they'll continue to use your services or products is if there are no alternative sources and, that's pretty unlikely in this day and age.  Honor your commitments on-time.
• Empower your employees.  Whether your employees have contact with your customers via phone or in-person, attitude makes a huge difference.  Disgruntled employees can make any customer service experience a complete disaster.  Make sure your employees are happy and give them the authority to make decisions on the fly. Set-up customer service guidelines and praise your employees when they make the right choices within the guidelines.  Happy employees will make sure that your customers are happy, too.
• Surprise your customers! Free gifts like a roll of Lifesaver candies in a shipment, "Thank You" cards, loyalty coupons or Holiday Cards help strengthen your relationships with your clients.  Invest some time and effort into making your clients feel appreciated.
• Get an answering service. Okay, you knew we had to lead into a shameless self-promotion at some point.  Seriously, though... an answering service can provide your clients excellent customer service when you or your employees aren't available to answer your phones.  You pay only when we answer your calls and know that when your phones are forwarded to us, your clients are getting the best customer service available.

Interested in more information about our affordable answering services??  Fill out our pricing packet request form and we'll send you information about our services asap.  Or, call us at 1-800-645-2616.

Inside AnswerFirst : The Operations 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. Our next few blog posts are going to be about the responsibilities of each of these four main departments and how they interact with each other to make AnswerFirst successful.
Our Operations Department is the front-line of our business; they are responsible for ensuring that we provide the best possible customer service experience to our clients and our clients’ customers.  This department is made up of Customer Service Professionals, Supervisors and Account Representatives; these team members each perform unique job functions but are closely integrated with each other.  Communication between team members is vital to the success of the entire Operations Department; department team members meet on a regular basis to develop new services for our clients, more efficient job procedures for our staff, and fun and inventive ways to keep our department enthusiastic and focused on providing excellent customer service.  Customer Service Professionals are the face of our business and deal with our clients’ customers directly.  They answer the phones, send emails, schedule appointments, take orders, provide instructions or guidance to callers and much more.  This team of 50 agents rely on each other to meet and maintain the expectations of our clients; they are solely responsible for the “AnswerFirst Experience.”  Supervisors manage our Customer Service Professionals and deal directly with clients when issues arise; they are also responsible for more complex account handling tasks and serve as leaders in the Operations Department. Our Account Representatives work with new clients to configure their accounts and assist them and their businesses with transitioning to AnswerFirst.  The entire Operations Department enjoys a fun family atmosphere while still meeting and maintaining the service level expected from our clients and their customers.  Operations works with all of the other managerial departments to refine the services that we offer and to implement new services.  Operations relies on IT to provide them with new and more efficient technologies and a secure and reliable infrastructure.  Operations also works with the Sales Department in transitioning new clients to AnswerFirst in a smooth and prompt manner.  The Operations Department is the core of AnswerFirst because this department provides the service that is AnswerFirst; without our Operations Department there is no service to offer our clients.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle  

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

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