Trying a Free Answering Service
The problem is it may not be until after you enter into an agreement that you realize the service is bad or that you discover the hidden fees.
Most reputable call centers will offer a free trial that last anywhere from 7 to 14 days so it only make good business sense to take advantage of those promotions. During the short period you will have a great deal of questions answered that would not have come to surface without the trial. Here are just a few of those.
Calculating your bill: This is likely one of the most common reasons that call centers actually offer a free trial. During the test phase they will be able to get a good idea of how many calls your business will receive and how long each call will last. As a general practice your call volume during this time frame will be the driving factor behind which program they place you one (or which one you pick). If you test a few providers you should be able to get a good idea of the differences in cost. Be careful that you don't forget to inquire about other fees that you won't see, like holiday's fees and other hidden costs.
Testing features: Your vendor might suggest that you test drive features such as call routing at specific times of the day, processing orders over the phone or allowing them to schedule appointments for you via an online calendar. For some people these features are well worth the small investment to have them added but you may also discover that the features drive your bill too high or complicate things even more. By trying the features for a few days you'll be able to decide if in fact you need them.
Weed out problems: No doubt when we start something, including a free answering service trial, we will find all kinds of mistakes and problems. These are usually uncovered fairly quickly and a remedy can be made before you actually begin paying for something that isn't working. Most commonly what you may learn is that the call flow, also known is scripting, has flaws that cause your message to be delivered incorrectly or you don't capture information from the customer that was really needed. Additionally you may learn that the call center could be more helpful and solve your callers needs on the first call, thus saving you time and keeping your client happy.
See how operators sound: For the most part you get what you pay for, and no service is going to hire operators to start at $15 per hour, but more like $8 or $9. This can make it very difficult for recruiting high quality professional people. Most call centers require the employees to speak very well and have excellent typing skills, but that is not always the case and some are very guilty of settling for what ever they can get just to save time from interviewing or keep pay cost down beyond industry standard, even if it means completely comprising on quality. Naturally all call centers will eventually have someone slip through that was quite qualified and that's to be expected, but if the majority of your calls are answering by people that can not speak clearly and use proper English you may not want them representing your company. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression. It's a good idea during the test phase to call your own number at least ten times and judge for yourself the quality of the remote receptionists taking your calls. Should you decide to go forward, don't forget to ask the service to exclude test calls when they calculate your bill.
See if it's a good fit: Once you have completed the free trial you should have an excellent understanding of how the service will be able to meet your needs, enhance your image and improve the quality of your day to day business operations. Assuming that it's a good fit you can then compare your finding against other free trials and in the end you are far more likely to be fully pleased with the vendor you settle with.
Just remember that signing on with a business answering service without a free trial would be a lot like buying a new car and not taking it for a drive first. You might get a car that looks good and is priced to sell but later learn that it handles horrifically, leaks oil and has a bad transmission under the hood.
Most reputable call centers will offer a free trial that last anywhere from 7 to 14 days so it only make good business sense to take advantage of those promotions. During the short period you will have a great deal of questions answered that would not have come to surface without the trial. Here are just a few of those.
Calculating your bill: This is likely one of the most common reasons that call centers actually offer a free trial. During the test phase they will be able to get a good idea of how many calls your business will receive and how long each call will last. As a general practice your call volume during this time frame will be the driving factor behind which program they place you one (or which one you pick). If you test a few providers you should be able to get a good idea of the differences in cost. Be careful that you don't forget to inquire about other fees that you won't see, like holiday's fees and other hidden costs.
Testing features: Your vendor might suggest that you test drive features such as call routing at specific times of the day, processing orders over the phone or allowing them to schedule appointments for you via an online calendar. For some people these features are well worth the small investment to have them added but you may also discover that the features drive your bill too high or complicate things even more. By trying the features for a few days you'll be able to decide if in fact you need them.
Weed out problems: No doubt when we start something, including a free answering service trial, we will find all kinds of mistakes and problems. These are usually uncovered fairly quickly and a remedy can be made before you actually begin paying for something that isn't working. Most commonly what you may learn is that the call flow, also known is scripting, has flaws that cause your message to be delivered incorrectly or you don't capture information from the customer that was really needed. Additionally you may learn that the call center could be more helpful and solve your callers needs on the first call, thus saving you time and keeping your client happy.
See how operators sound: For the most part you get what you pay for, and no service is going to hire operators to start at $15 per hour, but more like $8 or $9. This can make it very difficult for recruiting high quality professional people. Most call centers require the employees to speak very well and have excellent typing skills, but that is not always the case and some are very guilty of settling for what ever they can get just to save time from interviewing or keep pay cost down beyond industry standard, even if it means completely comprising on quality. Naturally all call centers will eventually have someone slip through that was quite qualified and that's to be expected, but if the majority of your calls are answering by people that can not speak clearly and use proper English you may not want them representing your company. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression. It's a good idea during the test phase to call your own number at least ten times and judge for yourself the quality of the remote receptionists taking your calls. Should you decide to go forward, don't forget to ask the service to exclude test calls when they calculate your bill.
See if it's a good fit: Once you have completed the free trial you should have an excellent understanding of how the service will be able to meet your needs, enhance your image and improve the quality of your day to day business operations. Assuming that it's a good fit you can then compare your finding against other free trials and in the end you are far more likely to be fully pleased with the vendor you settle with.
Just remember that signing on with a business answering service without a free trial would be a lot like buying a new car and not taking it for a drive first. You might get a car that looks good and is priced to sell but later learn that it handles horrifically, leaks oil and has a bad transmission under the hood.
