It is now a commonplace for business owners, entrepreneurs, doctors, company executives, and other professionals to have an answering service. With the hectic schedules that these people have, it became logical for them to avail of the service to keep up with the demands of their profession.
Call center answering services make it possible for individual professionals or large organizations to accommodate the concerns (i.e., taking the calls) of their customers, business partners, or patients without sacrificing other areas of their responsibility.
Call center answering services are usually availed from BPO (business process outsourcing) companies or third-party service providers. This service is basically offered in any and every BPO service provider. Also, there are now hundreds of BPO companies around the world. Therefore, choosing a call center answering services provider may prove to be a challenge for professionals or businesses searching for one.
Knowing the major factors involved in having an answering service is key to finding the most apt service provider for you, your company, or your business.
The following are the basic considerations in choosing the right call center answering service provider:
- Review the Rates
Answering services can be billed per minute, per call, or per unit. Most service providers offer a small fee for each of the three billing structures, but the catch is in the additional charges in each message transferred. Hence, clarify which costs are fixed and which ones will vary so as to get the actual amount of the service. Getting both an overview and a thorough look of the rates will greatly aid in the final decision of which provider to pick.
- Run a Test Call
The service provider's answering service operators will be the ones to bring the name of your company or business; hence, see for yourself how well the operator can handle the concerns of your customers. You can request a potential service provider to have one of their operators take a mock call from you. Pretend to be a customer with the most basic issue of your business and see how well the operator responds.
A tip in running the test call is to ask for an average operator (not the best one). If an average operator does well, then the more-tenured ones are sure to do better.
- Wield the Workforce
More appropriately, see how the service provider wields its workforce. Does the provider conduct sufficient training, proper orientation, and continuing evaluation for its employees? The job of answering service operators entail dealing with different kinds of people, that is, your customers who come as varied as the concerns they have. Also, the operators have to be competent enough in being knowledgeable about your business, and training, orientation, and evaluation are the basics of obtaining that competency.
- Evaluate Equipment
Get an overview of the programs and devices used by the service provider in making, taking, and recording the calls. Make sure that the provider has the necessary technology to monitor the calls and trace lapses or complaints (if any) from the conversations.
- Look into the Location and Population
A service provider with only 20 to 50 operators indicates a wanting workforce. With this number, many callers may be put on hold for too long or left unanswered, especially that large organizations or busy professionals usually have a minimum of 100 callers in a day. Also, a caller put on hold usually hangs up at the next couple of seconds, thereby making your company lose a potential loyal customer.
The accessibility of the location of a service provider may be a minor concern albeit important all the same; a visit from is highly possible. Also, choosing a provider located in an area that is barely prone to natural disasters ensures the continuous provision of answering services for you; in turn, no hiatus in answering your customers' concerns as well.
- Consider Other Companies' Referrals
Referrals are a good basis in gathering a selection of service providers or in narrowing down the options. However, don't make the referrals the sole reason for finally deciding on the one service provider for your business. Don't settle for what other business owners have to say; instead, gauge the ability of the provider with specific metrics in accordance to the needs of your business.
There may be no such thing as the best answering services provider, only the most apt one for your company—that is, a BPO service provider that offers answering service at an affordable rate and has the flexibility to cater to the needs of your customers according to your specifications.
About the Author
Publish on 06/21/2012
- freelance copywriter specializing in topics about the general services and qualities of a call center Philippines houses. Her expertise in the topic stems from having had worked for a few call centers and a BPO company offering a variety of services.
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Thanks for this article. But do you prefer a special one?
ReplyDeleteHi there! Thanks for leaving a comment. We are only laying out a few tips in choosing the right answering service. We did not mention of looking for a special one. Also, what is your qualification for any an answering service to be special? Is/are there any?
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