The invention of the answering machine in 1898 and introduction of the first commercial answering machine to America in 1949 were considered by companies as a rescue from having unanswered concerns (i.e., unanswered phone calls).
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.
According to Freelancer.com, the largest outsourcing and crowdsourcing marketplace, a huge increase in virtual assistant jobs (144%) focusing on answering service and administrative functions emerged in the first quarter of 2012. The figure indicates that many companies are already acquiring the service.