Answering Services

How to keep the personal touch while your business grows
By Mary Sit, corporate writing/articles/Web content/scripts Mary Sit Communications Your small business is generating more phone calls from customers and potential ones – and that's good news except it's getting harder for you to make your products or give services. Consider outsourcing your incoming calls. The value of a human voice is huge – many callers will simply hang up rather than talk to a machine. But before you pick the cheapest answering service to handle your calls, remember this vendor may be a caller's first impression of your business and should be treated as a partner in branding your business. Three important things to know:

1. Clarify what you need before you search. What type of calls will you need the answering service to handle – orders, information, technical support, e-mail and Web chat? What volume do you expect? Take into account seasonal spikes.
2. Understand pricing and compare apples to apples. Quotes may be per-minute, per dedicated rep, per call.
3. Evaluate answering services with surprise sample calls by getting phone numbers from the vendor's other clients. Listen to the type of live calls you plan to outsource. Are agents friendly, knowledgeable and skillful with irate callers?

Find the industry's best online

Choose a company that belongs to a professional trade association
Try:  Members of the Association of Teleservices International must abide by a code of ethics. Find award winners here whose service level has been evaluated through test calls. A score of at least 80 percent snags an award.

Search the Web to compare prices

There are hundreds of answering services competing for your business - it's one of the easiest home-based businesses to start - so use the Web to research prices.
Try:  AnsweringServiceFinder.com with a database of more than 9,000 providers, offers a directory you can search by state or by specific services needed, including funeral answering service, medical answering service, event registration or order entries. Also try BuyerZone.com and QuoteCatcher.com for customized quotes.

Find out how long operators typically work before quitting

The person who actually answers your phone is vital to your business. Is she enthusiastic and well-trained? If 35 to 50 percent of a vendor's staff has been around three years or more, that's a good sign.
Try:  Inland Answering Service says it retains its staff 200 percent longer than the industry average, which means the employees who answer your calls are more likely to know your business.

Experience counts

You get what you pay for - the more established answering services will have higher prices - along with existing customers and a sterling reputation. Start-ups can be fine if management has experience in the field.
Try:  AmeriCall, answering calls since the 1930s, offers full-time, after-hours and overflow service. It boasts low turnover and high morale and its customers include American Express, Fox News, and Toyota.

Pick a specialist

Whether you need bi-lingual services or an automatic rollover to a live operator when a natural disaster strikes, there are companies that specialize in niches.
Try:  VoiceNation offers a disaster recovery service. Whether it's terrorism or hurricanes that cause a power outage, calls can automatically transfer to this vendor where live operators communicate with employees and customers. Need bilingual services? See Answeringservices.net for Spanish/English or click here for French/English service, 24/7, 365 days a year.

• Don't let the provider buy and set up a phone number for you. It's easier to own your own number if you switch providers.
• Sign a non-disclosure agreement, ensuring the provider won't share information gleaned from your business with competitors.
• Make sure the answering service has back-up power and redundant critical systems.