What does it take to create an amazing call
center? Many businesses have tried answering services and been turned
off for reasons ranging from they dont understand my business to pricing
issues to rude operators. But, the reality is, small business owners need a break
from their business. Finding an efficient live
operator answering service to answer calls is a priceless commodity.
Throughout this article, I will highlight a few necessities business owners should
look into before committing to a service.
First, and most important, test out the answering
service before you commit to any contracts. Many services offer
a free trial period
one word priceless. The only
way to know if a service will work for you is to test them out. Watch out for
services that offer a trial then have long contracts you must sign. This is
reminiscent of a bait & switch tactic. Services will answer
your phones amazingly during the trial, get you to sign a long contract, and
then drop the ball. Bad news is, youre locked in to a horrible call
center.
This brings up the second point, watch out for long contracts. Many answering
services are known to switch owners often and hire grossly incompetent
operators which result in a serious disruption of quality services. The ideal
answering service contract is on a month-to-month term. This forces the call
center to be in the hot seat every month. If you have a problem,
leave them without penalty.
Thirdly, ask for references. Make sure you get at least 3 references and make
sure those references vary by industry. This will prove if the answering
service is able to adequately manage calls for many industries.
Dont be shy to ask these references the questions most important to you,
for instance, 1) how are their hold times, 2) how is their customer service,
3) Are there hidden charges, 4) how long have you been a customer, etc. Also,
make sure you call these references after hours so you can see how they manage
calls first hand for other businesses.
Fourth, price is NOT paramount. More often than not, the cheaper the answering
service, the worse the service is. Imagine if you have a $15.00
an hour employee compared to a $6.00 an hour employee. Who do you think will
care about your calls more? Which employee is more dedicated to their job? Which
employee is job oriented, and which one is career
oriented? Along the same vein, it is not a bad idea to ask what the average
operator gets paid. If you are looking at a few answering services and the price
is right for one but the service is more impressive with the other, go for the
more expensive service. Remember, main goal of using a call
center is to expand your business. If you have an unreliable service,
regardless of how much money you believe they are saving you in the short run,
they are ultimately costing you thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
| About Author Todd Cardin : |
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Todd Cardin is the regional sales manager for Specialty Answering Service's Philadelphia office (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net">http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net). This article may be reproduced as long as it remains intact.
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Article Source: http://www.bharatbhasha.net
Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.net/finance-and-business.php/33771
Article Added on Thursday, December 8, 2005
LD
| Other Articles by Todd Cardin | |
Fire Your Secretary
Peer out of your office door, whats your secretary doing right now? If you answered surfing the internet, taking a nap, or reading a magazine, its time to rethink where your money is going. In an ideal situation, a secretary would be paid for the work they accomplish and not for watching the clock. If is my theory that small businesses can save money by hiring a secretary part time to manage office business and utilizing an answering service to manage the phones.
Lets analyze this theory...
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