Answering service systems are incredibly useful for businesses while providing a professional impression for customers. This helps route callers to the appropriate department, accept input or even answer basic questions when connected to a computer.
How It Works
Automated answering services rely on human input from the caller, which can direct them to the proper department. Someone scheduling an appointment would input something different than another person asking a question.
Types of Automated Answering Services
- Automated
- Live Phone
- Internet
- Call Centers
Automated
This is the most common system for businesses. Your caller is greeted by a recorded messages and then are given various options. They use the number pass to tell the system what they want. Most of the time, the caller will make their way through the answering service to talk with a representative. The benefits of this service includes low cost and its efficiency.
Live Phone
This service requires a representative to be present to take phone calls as they call in. There aren’t any machines or pre-recorded messages. A huge benefit to this type is customer experience. Having in-house employees also provides you the opportunity to train them and script their responses. However, this means you must hire more employees, which increases your payroll.
Internet
Internet answering services rely on a live chat function for e-commerce and websites. This service is used by users who don’t want to call or have a speech impairment but still have questions. The benefit to this is immediate access to users. However, it can be expensive and people who aren’t technologically savvy might have a difficult time.
Call Centers
These are third party companies that answer calls. This may work for your company if you’re very specialized or have a large volume of calls per day. This eases the responsibility of answering phones in the office. Not being in-house is more expensive and you don’t have complete control over the sales message or how representatives interact with customers.
Most companies have some sort of automated answering service in place. All are incredibly helpful, but the type that’s best for you is dependent on your practice’s needs.
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Written by: Matteo Costa
