What to Look for in an Answering Service

What to Look for in an Answering Service

Bringing in an outside answering service is a big decision for business owners, but can be a great addition. Experienced answering services like Contact One can improve customer service experiences, increase sales, and save you time and money. If you are considering hiring an outside answering service, look for a company with these attributes

1. Excellent Customer Service

When evaluating answering services, first consider the level of service you receive from them! Our priority at Contact One is to train every agent in customer service and phone etiquette because we know that without satisfied customers, an answering service loses its value. There’s no room in a competitive market for subpar customer service. You should also ask prospective vendors about their customer service principles and escalation protocols.

2. Transparency

Look for an answering service that provides complete transparency, taking work off your plate, but keeping you up to date on all necessary information from calls received. Contact One becomes part of your team. Our job is to answer the calls that you can’t, answer questions about your business, and direct callers to the appropriate person/department if they require more assistance. The only thing you will be missing is the burden of answering the calls. Any important information will be sent to the business owner (or other management as directed). When interviewing an answering service, ask what types of detailed call reports you can expect to receive and at what frequency.

3. Knowledge in Your Industry

Look for answering services that specialize in your industry. Contact One has worked for decades with clients in the healthcare, legal, spa and salon, real estate, and contractor industries. Our receptionists will know the things your employees know, and they’ll be able to answer the questions your employees can answer. Ask the answering service about their experience in your field, and what their industry-specific training protocols include.

4. Price

Many business owners don’t realize that the cost of hiring a full-time receptionist is typically considerably higher than the cost of utilizing Contact One’s services. We offer customized packages based on your business’ needs and offer flat-rate services. Answering services should be able to explain their fees and rates to you and what their contract entails (long-term service agreement, month-to-month, etc.).

5. Live Receptionists and Live Chat

Many consumers still prefer to speak with a live person when they have a question or a problem when setting an appointment. In a survey conducted by The Marketing Scope, 62 percent of consumers prefer to talk to a human rather than a machine. That’s where Contact One comes in. Your customers will never experience long wait times and always speak to a real person. And if your business also needs live chat tools, our team can provide those, too.

If you think Contact One could be the answering service for your business, contact us! Experience our first-class customer service yourself by calling (877) 959-0158, or visit our website and chat with us, or contact us by email https://contactonecallcenter.com/contact/.

Financial Rebuilding: How an Answering Service Can Help Staff Return to Full Time

Financial Rebuilding: How an Answering Service Can Help Staff Return to Full Time

Answering Service / Call Center Support

Companies around the world have been forced to make staffing adjustments to survive the COVID-19 outbreak. These include salary reductions, furloughs and layoffs, as well as cutting back on staff hours. It’s never an easy decision to reduce staff or hours, especially during an international crisis. If you need trained, skilled workers but can’t afford them right now, Contact One is an option. By conserving resources now, you position your company to rehire and bring your staff back full time when the crisis passes.

Reduce customer service costs

Even in times of crisis, as your business adjusts to market demands, customer service is a major factor in its success. If you need a customer service representative but hiring or retaining an in-house employee with salaries, taxes and benefits is not feasible for your business right now, an outside answering service with set fees can help you reduce costs and ensure a predictable expense.

2. Eliminate training costs

Training is an important part of the hiring process, but it’s also expensive. According to Small Business Trends, the average cost of training an employee is estimated at $1200-$1800 for small businesses. With an answering service, your customer service representatives are already trained, without the interview, hire and training process required. Our services can help you manage cash flow in the short term, so your business survives this and can reopen the doors and rehire employees.

3. No missed customers

Customers are essential to business survival, but it can be hard to take every call with a limited staff. Our answering service is available 24/7 to take calls — in English and Spanish — for your business. This not only improves your business’s reputation, but assists customers faster, helping to keep your vital customers.

4. Reduce overtime, PTO and other expenses

One area you’ll save money on with an outside answering service is by avoiding paying receptionists/customer service representatives overtime or for working holidays. Contact One monitors your calls 24/7, and doesn’t charge extra for after-hour or holiday service, saving your company thousands of dollars.

5. Improve employee productivity

Depending on how often your business gets calls, it can take a lot of time away from other areas of work. If you’re working on a skeleton crew, but still need help, we’re an option. Hiring us as an answering service gives your existing employees more time to focus their time on revenue-producing activities.

6. Stand out from your competition

During this time of quarantine, it’s important that consumers spend money wisely, and that means being careful about which businesses they trust. Always being there to answer your customers’ calls will make your business stand out from the rest. Having an answering service that is always there to take your incoming calls will build a good reputation for your business.

If you are considering using an outside answering service, or just want to know more, contact Contact One at 1 (877)-959-0158. We can help save your company money, and help speed up getting your employees back to full time.

Why Have an Answering Service for a Medical Practice

Why Have an Answering Service for a Medical Practice

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Customer service is important with all businesses, but it is even more essential in the healthcare industry. Lasting patient-doctor relationships rely on continuous communication, even after-hours. When a patient calls, they may be in pain or not feeling well. For this reason, it is important that the patient gets the answers they need quickly. Fast answering and excellent communication gives them a sense of relief and support.

If your practice has a growing number of patients, it can be a challenge to juggle your practice while maintaining communication with patients. This is where a medical answering service can be of great help. Hiring a medical answering service for a doctors’ office is like hiring a receptionist to answer the phone. Incoming calls are routed to live, remote receptionists who are well-trained to handle healthcare-related calls. These receptionists know what information to collect and how to handle it. They can handle basic customer service inquiries, make appointments, and forward emergency calls to the right parties.

Medical emergencies can happen during any time of day or night. If one of your patients needs to make an appointment or speak with a doctor right away, they’ll be relieved to find out that your medical answering service is always available. Your answering team will be HIPAA compliant, be available 24-hours a day, and forward urgent cases to the appropriate extensions. Speaking with a live representative, regardless of the time of day, can make patients feel better about the care they’re receiving.

A medical answering service can also save money for your practice. Hiring and training new employees costs more time, money, and resources. A reliable call center trained in medical answering services has established systems and processes to get the needed work done. Utilizing a medical answering service is a more cost-effective way to delivering top-quality customer service to patients instead of paying for an employee’s salary and benefits. The people who will take your patients’ calls are well-trained, are available 24/7, and are available during holidays.

Think your medical practice could benefit from an answering service? Contact One is a call center based in Tucson, Arizona that provides answering services to various industries. Our team is HIPAA-compliant, available at anytime of day, and will provide high-quality service. Our expertly team of virtual receptionists will provide you with a variety of services.

Call us at 1-800-278-3347 to find out more about what we do, and how your medical practice can benefit from our answering service.

What is Contact One?

What is Contact One?

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Contact One is more than just a call center. Contact One is the first experience a customer has when contacting a business. We know that first impressions are critically important to a business’s success, so we make it our priority to ensure it’s a great one.

At Contact One, we are proud to go above and beyond the average call center. When you hire our answering services, you can rely on us to provide you with receptionist services, appointment setting, and call center support. By integrating our agents into your team, you can ensure that you achieve the highest levels of productivity and customer service.

Unlike getting another full-time, in-house employee, our answering service can save you more money without compromising customer support. Our call center agents take your calls promptly and professionally, do customer support, schedule or cancel appointments, redirect calls, and so much more. On top of that, you can get these services for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Whether your business needs receptionist services, medical answering services, or call center support services, Contact One is ready to manage your calls. We’ll save you time, money, and make sure that no call goes unanswered.

To hire Contact One for your customer service needs, give us a call at (800) 278-3347. We are proud to be a leading answering service in Tucson, and you will find that we are able to dramatically improve your company’s productivity and customer support capabilities. We look forward to helping you find the right solution for your business.

Tips for Better Customer Service

Tips for Better Customer Service

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Excellent customer service is crucial to your business’ bottom line. Top-notch support captures new business and keeps valuable customers coming back to you. Being friendly and helpful, however, can be difficult at times when dealing with certain issues and clients. It is important to know how to deliver consistently excellent customer service, and what things to focus on to ensure a client’s satisfaction.

1. Think From The Customer’s Perspective: In order to ensure positive and productive communication with customers, the customer’s perspective must always be kept in mind. Consider tone of voice: a customer who is spoken to in a tone that is courteous, pleasant, and professional is much more likely to respond kindly and calmly.

2. Body Language: Even though you are speaking with a customer over the phone, body language matters. A customer service representative who chews gum or seems distracted during a conversation, projects an attitude that is careless and rude. Make sure that while speaking to a customer, you are attentive, sitting upright, and are not distracted by your surroundings. A customer can tell when you are engaged in the conversation, or if your focus is elsewhere.

3. Learn to read your customers: Customers don’t always feel comfortable telling you they cannot afford your product or service. When a customer starts hinting (or out right asking) about price, offer alternatives. Don’t assume the customer knows all that they need to know in order to make an informed decision. Make suggestions that can save them money. Most of the time the customer doesn’t know what to ask for and is relying on your expertise.

4. Don’t keep callers waiting too long: While being on hold is often a fact of life, many callers get very frustrated with being on hold for long periods at a time. Try to keep their time on hold to a bare minimum, and if you must, make sure to check in with them often to assure them that they have not been forgotten about and that you will be with them as soon as possible. Partnering with a call center can help your business to minimize incoming call wait times.

5. Don’t sound overly scripted: Avoid launching into a script right from the beginning of a conversation. Instead, try to establish a rapport with the caller and take time to ask leading questions and listen. Additionally, being polite is a must so always use “please” and “thank you” when speaking to customers. Be careful not to overuse “please” and “thank you” as this can seem patronizing and may annoy certain callers.

6. Treat callers with patience and respect: Above many things, most callers want to be heard and treated with respect. Callers will often hang up in anger if they believe you are not listening properly or treating them disrespectfully. Be sure to listen carefully while they explain their problem to avoid asking them to repeat themselves. Try to empathize with the caller’s request or issue before offering a solution.

It is important to note that all of these tips can be applied before the sale is complete. There is a common misconception that customer service starts when a customer has a problem. In reality, good customer service starts when you pick up the phone. Giving your client the best service possible will not only benefit the sale, but will lead to return customers in the future.

Five services an Answering Service Can Provide

Five services an Answering Service Can Provide

Blog/ Customer Service/ Marketing and Sales/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Traditionally, small business owners have had the impression that an answering service just takes messages on our client’s behalf. They certainly can provide quality message taking but there are plenty of other services they also provide to their customers. (more…)