Answering Services: The Top 13 Questions to Ask Potential Providers

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Answering Services The Top 13 Questions to Ask
Potential Providers
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Answering Services

• Rarely are two providers of answering services
  alike.
• To help you compare apples-to-apples, the
  following 13 questions will create a framework
  for your evaluation.
• Theyll also highlight the most important
  criteria in selecting a true partner for the
  long-haul.

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Answering Services

• Does the provider keep a log of past phone calls,
  and if so, for how long?
•  
• Occasionally, you may need to review past calls
  or messages. When these needs arise, the
  information must be easily accessible. Make sure
  to ask each provider specifically how long they
  retain messages and call logs.
•  
• How long is the initial training program and what
  does it encompass?
•  
• Training quality will determine service quality
  to your customers. Therefore, its especially
  important. Is the training for three days or
  three weeks? Does it cover company specific
  topics? Does it include dispatch, typing speed
  and accuracy, phone etiquette and customer
  service?
•  

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Answering Services

• What are the billing terms?
•  
• Do you pay only for the time you use or are other
  billing methods employed? Ask for a sample
  billing statement to see how easy it is to
  understand. You need to make sure the providers
  billing is clear and fair.

• Does the provider carry Errors Omissions
  insurance?
•  
• This insurance is an important safeguard for you
  and necessary protection for the provider. You
  should ask providers if theyve ever had to file
  a claim on this insurance.

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Answering Services

• What safeguards does the provider have in the
  event of a power failure?
•  
• Any interruption of your answering services could
  be devastating. Therefore, you need to know your
  provider is protected should an outage occur.
• Is the provider 99.999 run time certified? What
  type of back-up system do they have and can they
  guarantee uninterrupted service 24/7?
• Do they have an on-site diesel generator? Do
  they have redundant phone lines? Do they have an
  off-site backup to store your company
  information?
• A sound and proven disaster recovery plan is an
  absolute must.

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Answering Services

• Can the answering services be provided in
  Spanish?
•  
• Bilingual capability should be a requirement for
  all answering services providers. You should
  determine the percentage of the providers total
  staff that is fluent in both English and Spanish.
  Having only a couple Spanish-speaking employees
  doesnt qualify as a bilingual service.
• Also make sure all shifts are adequately staffed
  with bilingual speakers. In addition to
  verifying that the services are provided, you
  must make sure they are provided in house 24/7.
• Many providers cant guarantee coverage during
  graveyard hours the hours between 1000 p.m.
  and 700 a.m. Sometimes, providers will use an
  outsourced third-party translation company, which
  will significantly increase call time and provide
  less of a seamless interaction for the caller.

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Answering Services

• What is a typical call wait time?
•  
• With every call potentially a sale, you dont
  want to risk losing anyone because of long waits.
  Inquire about software applications used to
  monitor call wait times.
• Whats the percentage of calls answered in three
  rings or less? Whats the average hold time and
  does the provider have reports to confirm these
  numbers? How often are call wait times monitored
  during the day?
• Also find out what the provider does in the event
  of high volume calls. Is additional staff
  on-call?
•  
• Will the providers phone system have any
  limitations in terms of callers getting through?
•  
• Its important to know about the telephony
  platform the provider uses. For example, how
  many simultaneous incoming calls can the platform
  process? A next-gen system can accept more than
  200 simultaneous incoming calls. In that case,
  callers would never experience a busy signal.
•  

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Answering Services

• Does the provider outsource its answering
  services?
•  
• You want to know who is answering calls on behalf
  of your company. So, ask potential providers
  about whether they outsource, as well as where
  their employees work. Do they have telecommuters
  or are all calls taken in-house?

• Does the provider offer automated appointed
  reminders?
•  
• In addition to answering services, some providers
  host automated appointment reminder systems
  in-house. The ability to consolidate services can
  be a bonus. The right provider can help with
  custom scripting, call tracking, using automated
  or human voices and more.
•  

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Answering Services

• Is there one point of contact?
•  
• Nobody wants to call several people within a
  providers organization to get questions answered
  or work done. Having one go-to person respects
  your time and helps the partnership succeed. It
  also facilitates the transition to outsourcing
  your answering services.

• Does the provider operate 24/7?
•  
• Todays businesses dont work nine-to-five
  anymore. Nor should your answering services
  provider. When you need help, you should be able
  to call your provider any time of the day or
  night.
•  

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Answering Services

• Does the provider offer a one size fits all
  solution?
•  
• Your business probably isnt like any other. So,
  your outsourced answering services should be
  tailored to your requirements. Your provider
  should customize scripts and all account
  information, as well as conduct a live demo with
  you before going beginning to take calls.

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About the Author
Michelle Weiss is Vice President of AnswerNow, a
premiere answering service and bilingual call
center service provider. Learn more about
Answering Services by visiting http//www.answerno
winc.com.