Many businesses across Canada rely on a call answering service. But is a call answering service right for your business? Our checklist below will help you determine if a call answering service can benefit your customers and employees.
Are customers calling outside of regular business hours?
If you’re walking into the office each morning to a blinking light on your answering machine, that’s the first indication that you need after-hours support. For every message left, there was probably another caller that simply chose to hang up and make a second call... to a competitor.
Customers expect 24/7 availability. They want a live person to talk to and they want it on at their convenience. An answering service can take your after-hours calls and schedule appointments for you or even dispatch technicians for a true 24/7 customer experience.
Is employee productivity being impacted by chasing phone calls?
If employees are spending more time answering calls and performing administrative duties than they are on customer-facing activities that drive value, there’s going to be a huge increase in productivity after implementing a call answering service.
Let the call answering service take care of the busy work while your team can focus on proactive customer service.
Do most calls fall into standard buckets?
For an answering service to be successful, it helps if most calls fall into 6-10 buckets. This helps create a good script template and standardize the service your customers receive.
For example, an HVAC company might have the following buckets of call types:
- Request a quote
- Installation
- Repairs
- Cancel or change appointment
- General inquiry
These buckets of calls are easily standardized and therefore make a great fit for an answering service.
How many languages do your customers represent?
If your customer base is made up of people who all speak the same language, a call answering service can work for you. Two languages are manageable for call answering services too, however, when you introduce a third language it may be time to consider an internal call centre for servicing clients. Very few call answering services are staffed to answer in 3 or more languages.
Roughly how long are your calls?
The average call duration can determine whether or not a call answering service is going to be affordable for you. Most services charge based on a per-minute rate. So, if the calls take between 1-3 minutes each it won’t cost you too much. However, calls that are 10-15 minutes long can quickly become cost prohibitive. Although not all long calls are a bad match for a call answering service, it just requires a hard look at the value of each call.
Learn more about call answering services
Telelink has been a leading call answering service provider for Canadian small businesses for over 55 years. Check out our website or contact our team to learn more.