Advanced Call Center Scripting Tips: Script Blocks

Every call center script is comprised of script blocks — customizable elements to gather specific caller information. Below, we’ll explore advanced tips on effectively using these specialized script block features.

Warm Transfer Block

Warm Transfers allow our agents to act as virtual receptionists by transferring calls directly to your team. Using them in your script is a perfect way to use a Specialty Answering Service agent as your personal virtual receptionist, during business hours, after hours, or 24/7. Activate documentation options in the warm transfer block to identify exactly why transfers may be refused by staff or callers.

Key Takeaway: Use Warm Transfer documentation to quickly address internal communication barriers and customer preferences.

• You want to know why your staff is refusing transfers: If members of your team are refusing transfers, allowing agents to document the reason why may help you drill down on internal staffing issues or adjust the setup to transfer to staff with consistent availability.
• You want to know why callers are refusing transfers: If callers continuously refuse to be transferred, it may be an indication that it’s time to review existing protocols and see what changes can be implemented to keep callers on the line and connected to your business.

Trigger Block

Trigger blocks perform automated actions like sending texts, emails, or CRM updates.

Key Takeaway: Automate real-time validation and staff notification to enhance efficiency and reduce errors.

• You want the callers to validate the information the agents took: Using a Trigger block to send an SMS or email to the caller to confirm that we have collected the correct information ensures accurate data capture and saves you from having to adjust incorrect details later.
• You want to alert staff about incoming transfers: Giving your team a quick heads up about incoming calls can facilitate the sales or customer service process by making sure someone is available to pick up when the line starts ringing. You can configure the Trigger block to send an SMS or email to specific contacts prior to the agent reaching the Transfer step.

Image Blocks

Not everyone learns in the same way. For some agents, a written description works best. For others, visual cues make all the difference. We can script just about anything, but sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Visual aids significantly boost agent clarity, especially when dealing with complex websites or technical troubleshooting.

Key Takeaway: Include reference images in your scripts to improve accuracy and reduce call handling time.

• You want to simplify the way agents approach your website: If your website has a lot going on, it may be difficult for agents to find the right form, link, or button. Adding reference images will keep call handling efficient, especially if it is an agent’s first visit to your domain.
• You want agents to be able to describe certain things: For technical support or internet service providers, agents may need to describe where a button or switch is on a piece of hardware, or what color lights the customer should see. Adding images of the exact equipment that callers are attempting to troubleshoot means that agents can better explain the what and where with confidence.

Workflow Blocks

While most of the script blocks in SAS Flex are used to gather information from callers, Workflow blocks alter the flow of the script depending on the variables you’ve programmed, without having to rely on the agents to choose one path over another. Workflow Blocks automatically adapt your call scripts based on predefined criteria.

Key Takeaway: Automate decision-making in scripts to ensure consistency and streamline operations.

• You want the script to change based on the day and/or time: By configuring a Workflow Date/Time block, you can tell the script to follow a different path depending on what day and time a call comes in. For example, if you want calls that come in after hours to be handled differently than calls during business hours, a Workflow Date/Time is the way to go.
• You want the script to randomly choose a Sales Team Member: If you want to evenly distribute new leads across your Sales team without asking the agent to pick a team member at random, utilizing our Workflow Round Robin block can automatically choose to send the message or transfer the call to alternating staff based on the parameters you’ve set.
• You want to ask every caller the same questions but change direction based on their responses: Let’s say that your script first screens callers for residential vs. commercial service, asks everyone for their Name, Number and Address, and then changes direction based on whether residential or commercial was selected. Workflow Path and Workflow True False blocks can look for matches to configurations that you define, for example residential vs. commercial, and create additional paths when a match is found – leading to varied next steps, outcomes, and message delivery. A Closing Collector block can also look for matching configurations, but that is only applicable to outcomes and message delivery.

Address Blocks

Just in the United States alone, there are over 160 million addresses. Even when narrowing down by state, similar addresses are commonplace. For example, 123 Main Street is probably in thousands of cities across the country. Address and Address (Service Area) blocks auto-populate data directly from Google Maps instead of relying on agents to manually enter address details.

Key Takeaway: Automate accurate address capture to enhance service efficiency.

• You want to determine if a caller is in your service area: After setting a Service Area perimeter within your Google Maps app from the Flex portal, agents can enter a caller’s address and determine if they are within or outside of your service area with one click.
• You want addresses to include non-standard information: Addresses can be collected for more reasons than just determining service area, and you may require more than just the standard address fields. The Address block can also be used to gather Township, County, and Country – all information that will auto-populate from Google Maps based on the address that is being entered.

Date/Time Block

The Date/Time block is used to collect precise scheduling details, such as appointments or registration dates.

Key Takeaway: Streamline appointment management to improve client convenience.

• You want agents to document preferred dates and times for appointments: Some clients may not want us to schedule appointments for them, and that’s okay! Having the agents ask callers for their preferred date and time or a few wider appointment windows may make it easier on your in-house staff to schedule.
• You want agents to reschedule or cancel appointments on your calendar: Conversely, if your goal is to have agents schedule appointments for you, then you may also want agents to reschedule or cancel appointments, providing instant assistance and maximum convenience to your customer base. Using the Date/Time block to gather the original appointment date and time, you can then present that information to the agent when they reach the calendar step, which will facilitate changing the appointment.

Free Text Block

While SAS offers many different script block options, you may find that you need agents to gather information that is not available as its own script block. For those purposes, you can utilize our Free Text script block which can be cuztomized to capture unique information, with validation for data accuracy.

Key Takeaway: Use Free Text Blocks for specialized information, ensuring data quality with built-in validation.

• You want agents to document numbers of a specific length: If agents are placing orders, they may need to screen for the item number in advance. Catalog companies and online retailers may have product numbers or SKUs that contain a certain number of characters, but that are often confused with some other identifying number in the product description. Using the Specific Length option, you can ask the caller to provide the item number and restrict it to the minimum and maximum number of expected characters. For example, all SKUs are between 7 and 10 characters long. Anything shorter or longer can display a customizable error message indicating that the caller has provided the wrong identifier.
• You need agents to document whole numbers within a certain range: While the standard number or currency blocks can be used to document numerical data, a company may need to gather a numerical value that falls between a minimum and maximum, excluding all other values. Let’s say that a freight company requires the approximate weight of a shipment, and it must fall between 5 tons, their minimum, and 40 tons, their maximum. Using the Whole Number validation option, you can set the system to accept values only between 5 and 40, and customize an error message to alert agents when the number provided falls outside of that range.

Optimizing Script Block Features for Accuracy

From Greeting blocks to data collecting blocks like Name, Number and Email, all script blocks serve a purpose. However, not all script blocks will include the same features. In this section, we’ll look at some of the tools you’ll find within script blocks, and how to use them.

Tooltips and Icons

For script blocks that include Logic options, users are able to add Icons and Tooltips, which provide visual cues and clarifications, helping agents choose correct script paths.. Icons display little graphics for an at-a-glance look at what is upcoming, whereas Tooltips are short snippets of text that describe each option and are visible only on hover.

Key Takeaway: Prevent errors by visually guiding agents with Tooltips and Icons.

• Use Icons to let agents know that following a specific path will result in a certain outcome: For doctors, dentists, counselors, surgeons, or anyone in an industry that often deals with emergency situations, callers may want to know if they can be transferred to someone in-office or on call. By adding a Transfer icon to an Emergency logic option, agents will be able to properly set expectations that the call will result in a transfer.
• Use Tooltips to let agents know that an emergency path is only for certain scenarios: For HVAC or Plumbing companies, customers may call with a minor issue (like a leak) that they feel is an emergency. But what if the company only deems busted pipes or flooding as emergencies? For these types of scenarios, you can add “busted pipe or flooding” as a Tooltip for the Emergency path. When an agent hovers over that logic option, they will see that only busted pipes and flooding are emergency situations.

Require an Answer

In most data collecting script blocks, users have the ability to enable the Require an Answer feature. Guarantee essential information is never missed by making fields mandatory. On the one hand, this can make sure that you are gathering all necessary details from callers. On the other hand, it can prevent agents from completing the call if the caller does not provide a response. Whether you use it depends on how critical the information is to your team.

Key Takeaway: Ensure critical data collection through mandatory script fields.

• You need specific information from callers: You may want to enable this feature if collecting data that is essential to customer communication, or in cases where you are unable to research an inquiry without a unique identifier. For example, businesses that communicate with callers entirely via email will set this block as required just as a tech support company may require an existing ticket number to check incident status.
• We are sending data through an integration: If you have integrated with one of our apps, we may need to push multiple data points to your third-party software to create tickets, update records, generate leads, or whatever function the platform is performing for you. Requiring those data points from callers is the only way to confirm that everything goes from our software to yours without a hitch.

Verify the Answer

For many businesses, it’s important that all of the information gathered from callers has been accurately verified, as it may need to match data already entered into their own records. If Verify the Answer is checked, you’ll help enhance data accuracy through detailed verification processes. For example, all alpha-numeric characters and special characters like the “at” symbol will be displayed below the input area. On hover, agents will see each character written out for effortless verification. For example, numbers will be displayed as one, two, three. Letters will be displayed as “A as in Apple,” “B as in Banana,” “C as in Charlie.” Agents will have to click a button to confirm they’ve verified the details before progressing forward in the script.

Key Takeaway: Activate verification to significantly reduce input errors.

• Agents are entering data incorrectly: If agents are making errors when documenting call details, verification will instruct them to read back a caller’s name, email, phone number, etc., to confirm they have notated everything correctly. This option is enabled by default for all Email blocks.
• Agents need to locate callers in a different system: When agents are creating claims, looking up insurance information, confirming coverage, or similar situations that require an exact match to correctly locate the caller’s account record, verification is critical.

Never Verify the Answer

On the other hand, some businesses may not necessarily care if a caller’s last name was misspelled, only that the agent captured the lead quickly. If this option is checked, agents can quickly capture less-critical data without causing caller frustration.

Key Takeaway: Use selectively for faster call handling when absolute accuracy isn’t vital.

• Callers are frustrated by the process: If calls are taking too long and callers are becoming frustrated by the number of questions being asked, you may want to check this option, as verifying information can make calls last longer and cause greater upset.
• Callers require immediate, emergency assistance: In some cases, such as with crisis lines, it may be more important for calls to be transferred to you as quickly as possible than for agents to spend time ensuring every bit of information is correct.

Disable Caller ID Pre-Populate

Some phone providers pass true caller ID when calls are forwarded, while others pass your business line number – without the option to reconfigure your setup. Some callers dial in from a direct-dial number, such as a home phone or cell phone, while others may dial in from an office line that displays the same number under every outbound call, even if the employee has a direct extension. Phone Number blocks are set to populate caller ID by default, which is the best setup for most clients. But that may not be ideal for your business. When you first start forwarding your calls to SAS, you may not know that you’ll need to disable caller ID pre-populate. Once you start to see repeat numbers in your call log, though, all it takes is one click in the Phone Number block to alter the default setting and prevent this information from causing problems in the future. Ensure accurate data entry by preventing default Caller ID fill-ins.

Key Takeaway: Disable auto-fill to guarantee precise caller details.

• Calls all come in under the same Caller ID:  If your calls are coming in under the same caller ID, this can result in inaccurate messages. Preventing the caller ID from automatically populating in the Phone Number block will require agents to ask the caller for their phone number, ensuring that you are receiving accurate contact details for current and prospective customers. While your call log will still display the caller ID, your messages will reflect the information provided by the caller. It’s also important to note that a repeating caller ID will affect more than just your messages. Most SAS callback features and some tools and integrations utilize the caller ID to function. So, if you discover that the caller ID is always the same, reach out to our team for assistance.
• Callers assume you have them on file: There will always be callers who refuse to provide an agent with information because they say that it is already on file with the business. That may be true, but the information could be outdated or incorrect, and in the majority of cases it is inaccessible to agents. Disabling the default setting allows agents to explain that the caller’s phone number is not available to them and needs to be collected and confirmed to pass on a complete message.

Greeting Lookup

Any time a customer calls your business, their data is automatically stored in both your Call Log and the Customers section of your portal, and you can also add your own customer data manually. Then, once you activate the Greeting (Lookup) option within your Greeting Block, the system will automatically match incoming calls to existing customer records. If there is more than one matching record, for example, members of the same family under a single caller ID, agents will be prompted to select the correct record before moving forward. If there is only one matching record under the caller ID, agents won’t need to do anything. Before activating Greeting (Lookup), it’s best to check your Call Log to confirm that the same phone number is not listed on every call.

Key Takeaway: Enable Greeting Lookup for faster, personalized customer service.

• Calls are taking too long: If calls are taking too long, enabling the Greeting (Lookup) option will save time by pre-populating the caller’s stored contact details. Agents can simply confirm what they have on file rather than ask for all the information again.
• You want to give callers a “small business” feel: By utilizing Greeting (Lookup) to display previously collected data, agents will be able to address callers as if they have spoken to them before. Whether you’re running a large corporation or neighborhood corner store, a little extra personalization goes a long way.

Read Precisely as Written

Some scripts are written with generic language that agents may use as a guide. In other cases, clients may require agents to read scripted text verbatim. Maintain consistency by requiring agents to use exact script wording.

Key Takeaway: Ensure critical script language remains uniform for compliance or accuracy.

• Agents are reading blurbs with detailed product information or instructions: In cases where agents are explaining the differences between specific products or walking callers through a particular process, reading that information word for word can reduce or eliminate questions and confusion later down the line.
• Agents are relaying warranty terms or disclaimers: If you’re having agents read legal language, your terms and conditions, or particular phrases that are used to define your business, you may want to enable this feature so that key phrases are read to the caller word for word.

Notes & Dynamic Notes

If you would like a block to be displayed with an internal memo, add a Note. Notes are displayed with a yellow background and are not read to callers. Instead, they provide a short instruction or “heads up” about the specific language or question in the associated block. With Dynamic Notes, you can add specific keywords that will display customized instructions to the agent if any of the corresponding words are entered. Use either or both to provide agents with context-specific tips and real-time reminders.

Key Takeaway: Use Notes to give agents additional clarity and ensure correct script pathways.

• You want to arm agents with more context: Let’s say that your company is frequently confused for another business with a similar name. Adding a Note to let agents know about that common occurrence will give them more context and help them effectively handle your calls.
• You want the agents to use special formatting that can’t be scripted: If your website requires an email address to process orders, or your CRM can’t create a ticket without an email address, it can be a challenge when callers refuse to provide their email. Enter a Note with an instruction on what to do if a caller refuses. For example, “If caller refuses, document email as firstname.lastname@company.com.”
• Agents are taking the wrong path: Callers are not always clear about what they need, and agents are not always clear about which option is best to advance the script. For example, if an agent takes the regular Service path instead of the Emergency path, you can add the word “emergency” as a keyword. Once the agent types the word “emergency,” a note will appear for them to take the Emergency path instead. Or let’s say that a caller is asking for a quote, the agent misses that there is an Estimate path, and again they follow All Other Calls. Using a Dynamic Note to alert agents about keywords like “quote,” “estimate,” and “pricing” is all you need to have them reverse course and change direction.
• You want calls from a specific person or place handled differently: If you want agents to be on the lookout for a nuisance caller or callers from a particular business, you can add a Dynamic Note in the Full Name or Company blocks and include special instructions that explain how the calls should be handled. So, when “ABC Office Supplies” calls to sell you toner, you can instruct the agents to save the caller under Telemarketer.

FAQs and Linking to Blocks

Frequently asked questions, or FAQs for short, can be added to any account and are a great resource for assisting callers. Though FAQs are available to agents by clicking a tab on the left side of their screen, it isn’t always convenient to search for a direct rebuttal to questions that may come up during the information gathering process. Directly link up to 2 FAQs to script blocks for instant agent reference.

Key Takeaway: Empower agents with immediate answers, reducing confusion.

• Agents are not able to answer standard questions: If agents are unable to answer simple questions about your business such as your location, hours of operation, available services or pricing, callers may become frustrated. Arming agents with the tools they need to succeed will increase agents’ confidence and keep callers happy.
• Agents need to provide detailed explanations that cannot be scripted: In an effort to account for every possible scenario that agents may encounter, you could easily wind up with a script that is too wordy or contains too many paths. Incredibly lengthy scripts may do more harm than good, but you can still provide agents with the responses they need by outlining a handful of your more complicated questions in the FAQs.
• Callers don’t want to provide required information: If callers continuously ask why they need to provide their email, which is probably the most commonly refused contact information, you can add an FAQ specifically to the email block that explains why an email is necessary. For example, Question: Why do you need my email? Answer: Email is our primary form of communication.
• Scripted questions often cause confusion: Some clients, such as mortgage lenders or finance companies, may ask complex questions that are not entirely clear to the agent or the caller. In those cases, associating an FAQ can give the agents an organized response for callers who need a better understanding of what is being asked.

Restrict Content

While handling your calls, agents will follow your script and input data based on the information that the caller provides. But in cases where callers resist giving agents the necessary details, agents may think it is better to add a placeholder rather than leave the response blank. Receiving messages with “junk data” can make it more challenging to take care of your customers. With SAS’s Restrict Content feature, you can eliminate placeholder entries to maintain message accuracy.

Key Takeaway: Use Restrict Content to ensure genuine data collection.

• Agents are entering fake email addresses: When callers refuse to give out their email address, agents may be inclined to enter fake information, like none@none.com or refused@refused.com. By toggling on Restrict Content and adding those examples, among others, the system will alert the agent that they have entered invalid content, and this will force them to either gather the correct information or leave it blank.
• Agents are entering your business number as the caller’s number: Disabling caller ID pre-populate ensures that if your phone provider is not passing true caller ID, the caller ID will not pre-populate in the phone number block. But the caller ID is still visible to agents on the phone widget. Callers may tell agents that their callback number is the same as what is showing on the caller ID, and neither the agent nor the caller can guarantee that to be true. So, restricting the business number will prevent agents from simply copying and pasting that information.

Emphasize the Block

Not all scripts are created equal. Many are straightforward, asking general questions such as Name, Number, and Regarding. Others can be lengthy, full of complex questions and language, and challenging to follow. If a new agent is not familiar with a difficult script, it may result in questions getting lost in the shuffle. Emphasizing lets you highlight critical script sections to prevent oversight.

Key Takeaway: Visually emphasize vital script steps to guarantee agent attention.

• Agents are missing a step: If your script is pretty busy, it is understandable that questions may be overlooked from time to time. When one question is being missed consistently, emphasizing the block will make it stand out from the rest of the page, decreasing the likelihood that it will be bypassed. This feature can also be used in tandem with Require an Answer.
• Agents assume an answer or think a question is unnecessary: If you are running a donation campaign, there may be an option for callers to cover a processing fee along with their donation. Some agents might automatically assume callers will cover the fee, while others might assume it is unnecessary. Emphasizing the block will highlight its importance.

Additional Script Workflow Enhancements

Script Blocks and their functions present an endless array of possibilities that will suit any size company in any industry. But beyond the individual blocks that make up script sections, there are additional features that can be enabled within your complete Script Workflow (a combination of sections) to make agents’ jobs a breeze. We’ll take a look at some of those options below.

Pinned Section

Pinned Sections allow users to create shortcuts for urgent call handling scenarios. Once activated, agents will be able to click the section name from the left side of their screen to automatically pull up the linked call handling. Using pinned sections would be best used in tandem with a Reach or a Cold Transfer schedule, so that urgent matters can be dispatched as quickly as possible.

Key Takeaway: Accelerate emergency response or direct transfers with pinned script sections.

• You want emergency call handling expedited: If your script is set up with a lot of path options, navigating through them may cause a delay in assisting callers with emergency situations. By pinning specific sections, you can create “shortcuts” for the agents to ask only essential questions and quickly save the call to trigger the automated dispatch.
• You want to bypass the script for unique situations: Rather than agents asking callers for information upfront, your sales department may want calls transferred directly. A pinned section that results in an immediate cold transfer to your team may make all the difference when it comes to lead conversion.

Wiki & Quick Reference

The Wiki feature allows you to add a bunch of details about your company, including your business’s name and pronunciation, staff members that callers may ask about, and their respective roles. Think of it as a mini cheat sheet designed especially for agents. The quick Reference option gives agents direct access to the most possible FAQs so the can get to them more easily. Use both to agents immediate access to vital business information.

Key Takeaway: Equip agents with essential company data for superior caller interactions.

• Agents are mispronouncing your company name: If agents are mispronouncing your company name, it can be a dead giveaway that they are not associated with your business. Adding the phonetic pronunciation will give them a helping hand in successfully representing your company.
• Agents are unaware of your key staff members: Callers may ask for staff members by name, but you may not have a specific person path built into your script. Providing the names and titles of your key staff members will make it seem like agents aren’t just a service, but are actually working hand-in-hand with your team as a true extension of your business.
• Agents are unfamiliar with your business concept: If your business name does not immediately explain what it is you do, for example, “ABC Incorporated” vs. “ABC Plumbing,” you may want to add a short description that agents can reference when potential customers call in, so that they can familiarize themselves with your brand.
• Callers ask the same question in the first few seconds of the call: If the first thing most callers do is ask about available services or pricing, add those FAQs as Quick References. Putting them at agents’ fingertips will give new customers the answers they want and allow agents to get down to the business of information gathering.
• Agents need instant access to something that they often reference: There are some clients with only one brick-and-mortar location, but many types of businesses commonly have multiple locations within the same state, across multiple states, or even in several countries. When agents ask, “Which location would you like to book?” and callers respond with, “What do you have in my area?” agents can provide the answer in seconds.

Call Handling

You can personalize your script by adding Call Handling to customize how agents represent your business mood, type, and objectives.

Key Takeaway: Clearly define the agent approach for consistent and positive customer interactions.

• You want agents to function as a specific aspect of your business: If you want agents to act as your answering service, your scheduling team, or your after-hours emergency line, you can set the Service Type within the Call Handling section.
• You want agents to portray a certain mood: When agents answer calls in a particular frame of mind, it can instantly set the tone for the entire interaction. For example, an IT company may want their agents to “Be Knowledgeable” whereas an emergency line may want agents to “Be Compassionate.”
• You want to set an Objective for agents: If most calls should result in an appointment scheduled, an order processed, a quote submitted, etc., setting an Objective will help guide the agents to complete those goals.

Agent Notifications & Whisper Announcements

There are several prompts that agents may see or hear during the course of a call, like notifications or whisper Announcements. These give agents timely reminders and real-time feedback.

Key Takeaway: Support agent accuracy and professionalism with subtle prompts.

• In a Warm Transfer block, if a warm transfer attempt is missed, the agent will be unable to move forward without acknowledging a pop-up message.
• If an agent has started the process of a warm transfer but they are on the line for under 7 seconds before disconnecting, they will see an alert that it was an incomplete transfer attempt.
• If an agent places a caller on hold for more than 1.5 minutes, a warning will be displayed at the top of their screen.
• If any call exceeds a high 7-minute threshold, agents will also see a notification that they should attempt to wrap up the call if possible.
• Agents are mispronouncing your business name: Some organizations have names so uncommon that they’re a challenge to pronounce, even with phonetics listed in the Wiki. If agents are really struggling to greet callers using your business name, toggle on the Whisper Pronunciation announcement. The system will use an automated voice to read the business name based on the text you enter, and agents will quickly hear the correct pronunciation just before the caller is connected.
• You want to set an Objective for agents: If most calls should result in an appointment scheduled, an order processed, a quote submitted, etc., adding Whisper Instructions to that effect will teach agents best practices for that specific account and make it more likely that they’ll accomplish whatever goals you have in mind.

Conclusion

Effective call center scripting goes far beyond basic question-and-answer setups. By leveraging Specialty Answering Service’s powerful script blocks and the features within them, you can significantly enhance call efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Implement these advanced scripting tips today to ensure your call center experience is optimized for success.

The post Call Center Script Best Practices: Advanced Script Block Tips to Optimize Your Answering Service appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

You don’t need to waste months auditioning your answering service to find out if they’re helping you grow. In reality, you should know within a few weeks if they’re going to be a good fit. There are certain things to consider when creating your pros and cons list as you assess if they’re working for you, or against you. After reading this article, you’ll fully know if your answering service fits your needs, or it’s time to go on another date.

#1. They’re solving a problem

It’s important to know what problem you were trying to solve when you hired your answering service, and if the service is helping you achieve those goals. Here are some common goals customers have when hiring an answering service. If you see your goal in the list below, ask yourself if the service is helping, or hurting:

• You want to filter out unwanted telemarketing calls
• You want to save money by not having to hire full time staff
• Your in house staff are too busy answering calls and are unable to focus on other tasks
• You want to reach a larger customer audience with bilingual support
• Too many leads are being missed after hours, on weekends or holidays
• You want to increase response time with your customers

#2. They get messages to you in a timely manner

The primary goals of an answering service is to handle customer communication on your business’s behalf, and to make sure those inquiries and requests reach you successfully – but not all answering services are created equal. Some systems rely on the operators to send the message manually, while others will dispatch a message when the call is saved or when the caller and the callee have both hung up. If you’re waiting on an agent to remember to send you a message after a call is over, human error could be affecting how long you’re waiting around to get messages. If you’re relying on a system that only sends messages a few times an hour based on a scheduled system task, you could be missing important leads.

Waiting around for minutes or hours to receive your messages means you’re probably going to miss out on some important business opportunities. For well-established, enterprise-level organizations, maybe that’s not such a big deal. But if you’re a small business owner or you’re just starting out, seconds matter! A few minutes wait, and a new lead may become another number to toss in the circular file. The faster your answering service can send your messages, the faster you and your team can prioritize and act on them.

If your answering service sends you messages automatically as soon as the call hangs up, you’re on the right track.

#3. They’re saving you money

No matter how big or small your business is, managing and budgeting your finances is a crucial aspect of running a profitable company. Answering services can help you cut costs and keep more dollars in your business going towards growth. If your current answering service offers the following 3 must have points, you’re in good company:

• Multiple plan options: Similar to phone companies, an affordable answering service will offer multiple plan options depending on how much call volume your business generally receives. For example, Specialty Answering Service has 8 different pricing plans to choose from on our pay-per-minute service, starting from the bare minimum all the way to a plan that covers over 10,000 minutes.
• Ability to increase or decrease plans as needed: In the business world, nothing is ever static. One month, you may be overwhelmed by a flood of calls, and the next month, there’s barely a trickle. An answering service that wants to help you save money will allow you to increase or decrease your plan as needed so that you’re never overpaying for service.
• Option to add automated support: If your answering service uses a pay-per-minute pricing structure, then every minute counts, especially for small businesses. If you notice your line is getting hit with robo-dialers or customers who just have simple questions, such as where your business is located or your business hours, those calls may be eating up unnecessary costs. Ask if your answering service can add automated support to your line with an IVR. Robo-dialers won’t be able to press 1 to get connected, and customers who just want to know what time you open will be able to listen to a recorded message.

If your service doesn’t have the appropriate plan for your volume, if you’re locked into a rate that you may not be able to maintain, or if you can’t add automation options to help cut down on live operator minutes, it may be time to look for a new service.

#4. They’re actually answering your calls

Another reason businesses look to use answering services to capture leads and handle customer communication is because they do not have the resources, budget or staff to be able to handle a high volume of phone calls themselves. However, if your answering service is frequently having trouble picking up the phone, then it may be time to shop around. For answering services, queue times, also known as answer rate, could be costing you business.

No answering service in the industry that can guarantee a 100% answer rate all the time. In fact, the industry standard is 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds. A familiar gauge that answering services use to break this down is the length of a ring, which is about 6 seconds. If an answering service tells you they usually answer a call in 3 rings or less, they are telling you that they usually answer a call before 20 seconds.

A good answering service will monitor their answer rates, look to previous data trends to make sure they are always staffed up accordingly, and continuously work to ensure that all calls are being answered in a reasonable amount of time. If they can’t always answer calls quickly, then they should have features that can be activated to help cut back on missed leads, like a call back system. For example, SAS offers both a Callback feature and a Queue Callback Feature, at no additional cost. Here’s how they work:

• Callback: This option will give callers the option to reserve their place in the queue. The length of time they may be on hold is announced in the beginning, and callers have the option to wait, or to hold their place in line and have an agent call them back when they become available. After hanging up, their spot in the queue is held and they’re automatically called back when an agent becomes available.
• Queue Callback: This option will dial your callers back automatically if they hang up while waiting for an agent to answer the call.

If you’re seeing more calls have come into your office telephone line vs. how many messages the answering service has taken, or you’re hearing reports from your clients about how long the service is taking to pick up the phone, you’ll want to contact your answering service to get a call report. If they aren’t answering your calls, they’re costing you opportunities, and your relationship with them may be a bust.

#5. They have enough features to grow with you

Most answering services can do a lot more than just answer your phones. As technology continues to evolve, message centers are able to incorporate features designed to make your life easier. There may be some features you don’t need now, but it’s great to know that as your business grows, you won’t need to look for another service to meet your evolvoing needs. Ideally, a solid answering service will provide:

• Access to an online portal or mobile app: For professionals who may not be in front of their computer all day, such as mobile veterinarians or plumbers, it’s important to have the ability to check messages or make updates on the go via an online portal or mobile app.
• On-call scheduling: If your answering service utilizes an on-call scheduling system, take advantage of this option for emergency dispatching, or even just for immediate lead capture with a warm transfer schedule.
• App integrations: Many business owners have adopted customer relationship management (CRM) systems to store and organize customer data. An answering service that offers app integration with popular CRM software will streamline the intake process by eliminating the need for your team to do double the work. And less time in data entry means increased employee productivity!
• Bilingual support: Having the ability to provide consistent support to your Spanish-speaking customers is a game changer, opening your doors to a much larger audience. If this level of customer care is important to the success of your business, look for an answering service that offers bilingual operators at little to no extra cost.
• Flexible scripting options: Every company is different, and any worthwhile answering service will take your specific needs into account when working with you to develop a fluid call script. For example, legal firms would likely require a different set of screening questions than an HVAC company, and medical practices may want to include a dispatching protocol for emergencies.
• SMS messaging: Having the ability to text back and forth with customers via your online portal is a great way to keep a channel of communication open at all times, and can even allow you to assist multiple customers at once!

#6. You can reach them if you have issues

No one likes dealing with a business whose customer support team is unresponsive. When there are issues, customers want to know that there is someone who can help them fix the problem as quickly as possible. Not only that, but representatives who are friendly and empathetic can turn a frustrated caller into a lifelong patron simply by putting themselves in the caller’s shoes. This goes for both the operators answering your inbound traffic and the customer support team managing your account.

If your answering service makes call recordings accessible, listen to interactions regularly to ensure that operators are delivering assistance with courtesy, care, and commitment to a positive outcome. A great service will always welcome your feedback, good or bad, and take immediate steps to resolve issues. When their customer support team can maintain quick response times, handle updates efficiently, and offer valuable suggestions that will provide the best possible experience for your callers, your search is over. That’s a perfect match!

If your service isn’t giving you the ability to listen to calls, or if you’ve had issues and you haven’t been able to get them resolved, it’s time to look for another service.

Choosing the right answering service for your business is an important, and sometimes lengthy process. To really know if they’ll work for you, you need to give them a try. Specialty, like other services, offers a trial period where you’ll be able to experience everything we offer, for free. It’s a great way to know how a new telephone answering service will work for you before you’re committed. The considerations above can help you to take the temperature of your current service to see if it’s working for you, as well as give you some questions to ask while you’re in the discovery process. You’ll want to make sure you choose the best service for your business model, as the right live answering service will be instrumental to the growth of your company.

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#1. Insurance Claims & Appointment Scheduling Hotline

When The Avengers get involved in fighting crime, property usually gets destroyed (we’re looking at you, Hulk). Designating a central hotline channel for processing insurance claims due to property damage is a great way for citizens to get the assistance they need, while maintaining a positive relationship between civilians and the heroes doing the dirty work. After customers finish having their insurance claims processed, they can call or be transferred to an appointment scheduling hotline to schedule their service repairs. Here are some examples of mega fighting scenes and the damage that ensued:

• The Avengers: New York City was severely damaged after Loki opened a portal that allowed the Chitauri to run rampant in exchange for the Tesseract.
• The Avengers Age of Ultron: After Tony Stark creates Ultron, a global defense program that turns against the team, the whole country of Sokovia gets demolished.
• Captain America Civil War: Wanda Maximoff telekinetically deflects a biological weapon into a building, totally destroying it.

#2. Tip Hotline

If you’ve traveled using any sort of public transportation, you’ve probably seen the  “see something, say something” signs plastered about, encouraging passengers to report any suspicious activity they may see on the subway, train station, airport, etc. For citizens who spot a mischievous looking Loki, or happen to stumble upon a mysterious looking gemstone, they can call the tip hotline to report their findings. Below are some of the tip lines for the areas where The Avengers have been spotted:

• Los Angeles, California: Home of the Stark Industries HQ. The Los Angeles Crime Stoppers Tip Line is (800) 222-TIPS
• Santa Fe, New Mexico: Thor lands after being banished from Asgard by his father. The Santa Fe Crime Stoppers Tip Line is (505) 955-5050
• New York: In addition to fighting in New York City, The Avengers have been spotted throughout many of the boroughs of New York including Manhattan and Brooklyn. The New York Crime Stoppers Tip Line is (800) 577-TIPS
• Washington DC: Home of the National Mall, where Captain America and Black Widow were in hiding. The Washington DC Anonymous Tip Line is (202) 727-9099.
• Willowdale, Virginia: Bruce Banner works at Culver University studying nuclear physics and gamma radiation. The Virginia Crime Stoppers Tip Line is (888) Lock-U-Up
• Missouri: Where Peter Quill was born. The Missouri Crime Stoppers Tip Line is (417) 869-TIPS
• Inglewood, California: Where Tony Stark was spotted at Randy’s Donuts. The Inglewood Anonymous Crime Line is (888) 41-CRIME

#3. Employee Call Out Hotline

Everyone needs a day off here and there, even super heroes. With an employee absentee line, call out requests are streamlined through one communication channel, and supervisors are able to be notified immediately. Absence reporting can also be combined with a substitute calling system. When one employee calls out, the next staff member on your roster can be contacted to fill in, which ensures there’s always someone to cover. Here are some reasons the Avengers crew may need to call out:

• Vision – Has a throbbing headache that he can’t seem to get rid of.
• Bruce Banner – Currently having an existential identity crisis.
• Thor – Needs to visit the ophthalmologist to have a glass eye fitting.
• Scott Lang – Dealing with an ant infestation.

#4. Emergency Hotline

Calling 911 when you have an emergency is an already established form of  communication in the United States. However, the police and other first responders have enough on their plate without throwing evil masterminds like Thanos or the Dark Elves into the mix. When it comes to emergencies of the earth-saving kind, having a streamlined channel to call out to the big guns is crucial. A solid emergency hotline would include:

• 24/7 Coverage: Emergencies can happen any time of day, any day of the year, which means a super hero hotline needs to be available 24/7/365. Emergencies take no days off, and neither does the emergency hotline.
• Automatic reach on-call dispatching: When it comes to emergencies, there is no room for error. With automated dispatching, urgent messages can get delivered instantly to on-call staff the moment the call ends.
• Emergency call screening: Not every emergency will require the whole Avengers squad. Setting up an emergency screening hotline can help determine how many team members need to be dispatched. For example, a level 1 emergency could dispatch 1 Avenger, a level 2 emergency could dispatch 3 Avengers, and a level 3 emergency  could dispatch the whole squad.

#5. Whistleblower Hotline

Every work place has it’s share of drama and animosity, and the same goes for The Avengers. Coworkers butt heads, personalities clash, and sometimes they just need a place they can go to vent about their problems. Whistleblower hotlines offer employees a safe place to talk about their issues, either anonymously or not, which will make them more inclined to stick around and perform better. And without the fear of retaliation, employees are more likely to report wrongdoing sooner, creating a safer workplace for everyone. Here are a few whistleblower hotlines the Avengers could have used:

• Human Resources: Peter Quill and Thor had a power struggle over who’s the real captain of Quill’s ship.
• DOD: Tony Stark and Steve Rogers fought over the Sokovia Accords leading to the Avengers’ Civil War.
• OSHA: Tony Stark recruited an underage Spiderman to fight in the aforementioned Civil War.

The post 5 Ways Super Heroes Use Hotline Providers appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

As we continue to try to navigate through these unprecedented times, we look to those who can help guide us through. Here is what 19 small business leaders had to say about the Paycheck Protection Program, and the importance of providing relief to our nation’s small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Lloyd Blankfein – CEO, Goldman Sachs

“There will be some resentments that emerge because some people will have gotten help and others in a similar situation won’t have.” (source)

Drew Maloney – CEO of the American Investment Council

“Businesses across America are looking for support immediately in order to survive and continue to employ people. It shouldn’t matter if these companies are backed by investments from corporations, pension funds or others. We’ll continue to work with the administration and Congress to request that federal programs support all businesses, regardless of ownership structure, and their workers.” (source)

Amanda Fischer – Policy director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth 

“With such limited resources, policymakers should not be bailing out private equity general partners at the expense of small restaurants, barber shops and self-employed people. We saw from the 2008 crisis that private equity companies are some of the best-positioned firms after a crisis — gobbling up assets, increasing concentration and exacerbating inequality while workers and small business suffers. We shouldn’t repeat those mistakes.” (source)

Jim Cramer – TV personality on Real Money

“Consider the Fed and Treasury as ad hoc insurers demanding no premiums. Maybe it ends up being a small price to pay to avoid a depression.” (source)

Brian Moynihan – CEO of Bank of America

“It’s clear that between Congress, the administration and the American people, we need to get all these funded and not make this a foot race. Just get the work done.” (source)

Paul Merski – Lobbyist for the Independent Community Bankers of America

“Virtually every small business borrower believes that this will be forgiven. They took it out assuming that it would be a grant but it’s not — you have to abide by very complex rules and regulations on how this is spent.” (source)

“Now that over $500 billion of these loans have been approved, we’re really focused on the forgiveness phase, and the forgiveness phase could be 10 times more complex than the initial program.”

Steven Mnuchin – Treasury Secretary

“The objective here is to put people back to work.” (source)

Karen Mills – former SBA official, now senior fellow at Harvard Business School

“I have had countries including the U.K., Saudi Arabia, and Spain come to me and ask for the blueprint of the SBA, because they want to copy it.” (source)

Spokesman for Marco Rubio – the Florida Republican

“At the end of the day, if there’s a way to keep people connected to employment, that’s what we wanted to do.” (source)

Jamie Dimon – JPMorgan Chairman and Chief Executive

“Thousands of dedicated (staff) worked tirelessly over the past 30+ days to support the federal government in one of the largest and most ambitious emergency lending facilities in history.” (source)

Bridget Weston – CEO of SCORE  

“I really want all small businesses to remember how critical they are to this economy. So we just don’t want them to give up hope. It may be discouraging now, [but] we will help as many business owners as possible to get through this so they can keep their doors open and have a viable plan so that a year from now they are still running a productive and successful business.”

“We are recommending that small business owners reach out to either their landlords or other business vendors that they work with that have set costs and try to work out a plan and communicate to them what the small business owner is doing to get through these times.”

Jessica Mah – CEO of inDinero 

“This is a get-out-of-jail-free card — if you just follow the directions. And if you’re worried about all your other overhead that’s not employees, negotiate it. I’m telling everyone: ‘Negotiate with all your contractors and tell them to get their own PPP … and then negotiate a better price with them.” (source)

Bond, Schoeneck & King lawyer Jeffrey Scheer

“There are a lot of businesses that may be closed but are continuing to pay their employees, even if their employees are home. It may sound silly, but it does give you an opportunity to hire back your employees and pay them, even though they may be … on the bench, as we say. Consider even bringing people back to have them on call, ready to work again when you are able to reopen your business.” (source)

Ronald Kruszewski – CEO of Stifel Financial

“Just because a business, whether it’s an RIA or anyone else, can technically apply for a PPP loan doesn’t mean it should.” (source)

Calvin Corriders – Regional President of Pathfinder Bank 

“We’re all in this together. We’re inextricably tied. Our local legislators, our federal legislators — they’re all sensitive, all advocating for the same thing we’re advocating for.” (source)

Sen. Chris Coons – Member of the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee

“These are some of our most vulnerable small businesses. Because you know, if they got an SBA loan, they probably had difficulty getting a traditional bank loan. So these are exactly the companies we want to make sure know that for the next six months, they don’t need to do anything.” (source)

Steven Mnuchin and Jovita Carranza – Treasury Secretary and SBA Administrator, respectively

“We have noted the large number of companies that have appropriately reevaluated their need for PPP loans and promptly repaid loan funds in response to SBA guidance reminding all borrowers of an important certification required to obtain a PPP loan.  To further ensure PPP loans are limited to eligible borrowers, the SBA has decided, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, that it will review all loans in excess of $2 million, in addition to other loans as appropriate, following the lender’s submission of the borrower’s loan forgiveness application.  Regulatory guidance implementing this procedure will be forthcoming. We remain fully committed to ensuring that America’s workers and small businesses get the resources they need to get through this challenging time.” (source)

Guy Crowgey – attorney for Crowgey & Associates

“Please make sure you clearly break out your PPP expenses paid for several reasons: your bank will want to see what the funds were used for, and also, for tax prep purposes. If you received $XXXXX in PPP funds, then your financial statements must also clearly show $XXXXX in PPP expenses.  Each expense should be clearly labeled PPP.  For Example: PPP-Officer Salary; PPP-Rent; PPP-Telephone.  This will allow everyone clear view of what the funds were used for.” (source)

George Soros – Chairman, Soros Fund Management and Open Society Foundations

“Any funds spent preserving worker paychecks and healthcare now will save money that would otherwise have to be spent on unemployment benefits and public healthcare later.” (source)

The post 19 Quotes from The Most Powerful People in Finance on Paycheck Protection Program Loans (PPP) appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

When times get tough, we look for guidance. For small business owners, that means looking to business leaders for their views on how the economic stall from the pandemic will play out.

Check out what some of the world’s business leaders had to say about the COVID-19 pandemic and what comes next:

Oprah Winfrey – American media executive 

“I was struck by the work these organizations are doing and while everyone’s priority right now is to stay safer at home, I know there are many of us looking for ways to help.” (source)

Bill Gates, CEO and founder of Microsoft

“If we make the right decisions now—informed by science, data and the experience of medical professionals—we can save lives and get the country back to work.” (source)

Tim Cook and Sundar Pinchai – CEOs of Apple and Google, respectively

“Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments, and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID‑19 and accelerate the return of everyday life.” (source)

Mark Cuban – Entrepreneur, owner of Dallas Mavericks

“The CEO is of no more importance than somebody cleaning the floors or that takes a bucket and mops the floors. I think that this is a time as a reset where we really have to reevaluate how we treat workers, how people are paid, how can we get them into a role where they receive an equity as part of their compensation. So that they’re not having to live paycheck to paycheck, they have something that appreciates. All these things I think are important as we go through this reset in business.” (source)

Sam King – CEO of VeraCode, a cybersecurity company

“I wish there was an easy solution to these issues but there isn’t. My ask is to do the best you can. I also recommend that you not fall into the temptation of having every waking hour be a work from home hour just because it can be.” (source)

Mark Zuckerberg – CEO of Facebook

“I’m very proud about how our teams around the world have pulled together to support people – getting accurate information, fighting misinformation, supporting small business and their recovery – making sure that important social and communication services that people rely on to keep in touch with the people they love, stay stable and running.” (source)

Mohammad Ali – CEO of International Data Group

“You’ve got 3,000 to 4,000 people at home and they need a community. We have been creating online communities that have nothing to do with how much you’re going to sell this week.” (source)

Michael Hansen – CEO of Cengage 

“The one thing I’ve personally learned is you’ve got to get ahead of the curve, don’t try to deny it or put your head in the sand, and wish for the best. These are the times when a culture and an organization gets tested.” (source)

Kelly Frederickson – CEO of MullenLowe

“Most consumers don’t mind hearing from brands as long as it is a solution,” where we are not trying to sell something, but we are trying to solve something.” (source)

Jennifer McNamara – CIO of Washington state’s Department of Health

“One thing I tell my teams is: ‘slow is smooth and smooth is fast’,” she says. “Speed is important, but if people are moving too rapidly, they can miss the big picture and end up solving the wrong problems.” (source)

Warren Buffet – CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

“There will be interruptions, and I don’t know when they will occur, and I don’t how deep they will occur, I do know they will occur from time to time, and I also know that we’ll come out better on the other end” (source)

Arvind Krishna – CEO of IBM

“When we look at the usage of AI and cloud, I think it is especially going to accelerate also not just us, but how our clients are going to go on their digital transformations. And I believe this crisis is only going to accelerate that as we go over the next few months.” (source)

Michael Dell – CEO of Dell

“We are all navigating this new normal together. As we lock arms virtually and try to help one another in the ways we can, our vast world suddenly feels a little smaller and a lot more connected. And for that, we are grateful.” (source)

Mike Krieger – Cofounder of Instagram

“In San Francisco alone, there are over 12,000 small businesses that employ more than 350,000 people. The coronavirus pandemic is threatening to permanently close many of these, leaving staff unemployed and owners at-risk. But one concrete, meaningful way that we can help is by purchasing gift cards. It’s a seemingly small gesture, but it means that the business gets income today to stay afloat through the crisis.” (source)

Bob Swan – CEO of Intel

“Today, we are witnessing what will surely be remembered as a historic deployment of remote work and digital access to services across every domain, including medicine, education, government, entertainment and more. In the coming weeks and months, services will be further digitized as the creativity of a massive work-from-home population gets rolling.” (source)

Tami Erwin – CEO of Verizon

“I don’t think we will ever go sit in a doctor’s waiting room when we’re sick again,” she said. “We will use telemedicine. The technology that’s available will change health care, will change education, will change a lot of things. And I think 5G is going to fuel that.” (source)

Brian Cornell – CEO of Target

“It’s safe to say that sitting here today, America is largely out of business, as many industries have idled capacity, as consumers are staying at home, working from home. Schools are closed, it’s a very unique environment that none of us have seen before, and there is no playbook for how to react in this environment. We’re writing the script each and every day” (source)

Kevin O’Leary – Entrepreneur and co-star of Shark Tank

“The key is to keep the DNA of the business intact so that when we come back out of this incredible, unique situation, we have all the building blocks we started with before to spring right back into business.” (source)

The post 18 Inspiring Quotes from Business Leaders During the COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

One of the main things we’re learning by speaking to our customers and prospects is that the conversation around business communication is changing. For some businesses, answering services were the after hours dispatching team or the overflow receptionist team when you couldn’t answer the phone in your own office. Now, we’re becoming the 24 hour answering service. With so many businesses forced to do business from home, the main thing small businesses are concerned about now is continuity of communication.

Businesses are seeing customers trying to reach them more than ever. Inbound requests are spiking. Business communications are in flux as you don’t know which member of your team is going to be available to speak with a customer at any point through the day. You need your communication to be flexible, and an answering service allows that type of flexibility.

Answering services like Specialty are committed to supporting companies like yours. No matter what size your business or what industry you’re in, an answering service can act as a central point of contact and give you the flexibility to be there to receive a transfer, or take a message if you’re not available.

Here’s how to maintain solid communication through your answering service during a crisis:

1. Ensure messaging redundancy: In many cases, and especially during an emergency, there needs to be more than one point of contact to ensure messages are getting to someone as soon as possible. Whether it be through texts, emails or actual phone calls, you should include two or more contact numbers or addresses for each method of communication being used. That way if Contact Person A has stepped away, Contact Person B can step in without any disruption.
2. Maximize coverage: If you are in an emergency service industry or not, consider using the 24 hour live coverage answering services offer to make sure your business is available around the clock. Assign staff members who are available to take transfers around the clock by using a rotating on-call schedule or simply arm your answering service operators with a handful of the most important FAQs. That way they can help answer questions on your behalf which will help cut down on the amount of calls your team have to return. While we recommend 24 hour support, it’s a good idea to review your answering service pricing first to ensure there are no extra charges for 24 hour support. Most services do not charge extra and will just charge based on your usage alone.
3. Reassess contact points: Normally, there is a single person from your company who takes your teams needs and communicates them to the answering service to program into a script. Make sure there are at least 2 individuals in your company who knows how to contact the service and who understand your protocols in general in case one contact person is unavailable.
4. Ensure phone reliability: If you manually transfer your calls to the service, make sure you have another way to transfer calls if something prevents you from accessing your office phone. For example, a power outage will make it difficult for you to manually forward calls. However, your phone provide may be able to do it remotely from their own headquarters. It’s important to make sure your provider has a plan in place specifically for emergencies and that they are compatible with your own business protocols.

Even if your answering service is performing perfectly, we understand that your staff may be experiencing a high level of stress because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Answering services are here to help you through the stressful times so maintaining continuity in communication isn’t even on your radar. We understand the role communication plays during an emergency and now more than ever, communication is critical to maintaining your business.

The post Keep Your Answering Service Performing Over a Crisis appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

Over the past week, our staff has been speaking to many small businesses whose teams are feeling overwhelmed by inbound calls dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies are short staffed or working remotely for the first time, and the volume of calls companies are getting is not going down. Customers are calling with questions and business staff is not equipped to handle the calls alone. At SAS, we have our own protocols to make sure your business is able to stay open and receive calls. If you’re using an answering service or virtual receptionist service as part of your crisis communication plan, we’re here to help.

Create your plan

A good outsourcing plan involves the following:

• What: What types of calls will the answering service receive?
• Who: When a message is received, who needs to be notified? Will the message go to an individual or a group? Based on the types of calls you feel the service will be receiving, should different people or departments be notified about different types of calls?
• How: How will your staff get notified? Will they receive an email? A text message? Would you prefer calls be transferred to your staff?
• When: Should your crisis communication plan be on paper until a crisis hits or should you look for an answering service now as a precaution? Even if you don’t contract with an answering service right away, research and know who can get you setup quickly in the event of an emergency.
• Where: If a disaster should happen, where will your business operate from? What should the receptionist tell callers?

Align your communication

Communication is essential during any crisis. For your plan to be effective, you’ll need clear communication channels for your customers, employees, and even vendors. To make sure the answering service is representing you during a crisis, we recommend the following:

• Designate someone in your company to control the setup of the answering service and have that staff member be the main point of contact from the answering service in case they have questions about protocol or changes. This way, there is a continuity of setup.
• Depending on what method you are using to transmit messages (email, text, transfers, etc.), make sure you’ve setup forwarders, distribution groups, or ring to groups on your end through your own software.
• If you’ve already activated an answering service, run through mock emergency scenarios at least every quarter to make sure the systems are still working on the answering service side, and to verify you’ve set up your distribution channels correctly on your end.
• Don’t forget to update the plan to align with changes in your staff

After a crisis

After your business has returned to normal operations, be sure to touch base with your staff to evaluate how your crisis communication plan worked and what can be improved.

No matter the disruption, your business is never in it alone. Answering services and virtual receptionist services like SAS are always available for your business.

The post It’s not too late for a business contingency plan appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

#1. Think 24/7

One of the most vital requirements your business may have for the perfect answering service is making sure the service is available 24/7. Because one of the answering service’s main goals is to make sure your business is always open, being able to rely on an answering service on nights, weekends, and holidays is crucial. If you’ll be relying on your answering service to capture leads and dispatch urgent calls, seriously think about a service that is open all day and night. While many answering services do offer 24/7 availability, it may come at a cost.

For example, some services may charge an extra fee to answer your calls after 9pm or on a holiday. Another caveat may be that the answering service only offers live support up until a certain time, and then switches over to an automated system. Answering services that offer 24/7 live support at no additional costs are the services that are truly there to help your business succeed, and is definitely a feature you should be looking for.

#2. Operators Are Representing Your Business

The right business answering service can make or break your company. The professionalism of the operators are one of the most important features you can look for in an answering service. Without great operators, you’ll have a difficult time ensuring all of your customers are being taken care the same way as your own employees would take care of them. For most businesses, one of the key components to a great service is the operators ability to properly represent the company they are answering for. Some businesses require a lively, energetic operator – while others, like funeral homes or medical practices, will require their operators to be calm and composed. Beneath any personality requirements is the operators ability to be nimble, to adapt to the needs of the caller, and be able to evaluate every situation and react accordingly. Because every caller is different, you’ll want to look for agents that can adapt well.

#3. Personalize Your Callers Experience

If you want to maintain continuity between the calls you handle in your own office and the calls the answering service is handling, you’ll need to make sure your answering service is as personal as can be. You won’t want your answering service to use generic call handling templates as that won’t make your clients feel like they’ve called your office. Generic call handling makes your customers feel like a number – personal call handling makes your callers feel like you care. In order for an answering service to feel like a part of your business, you’ll want to make sure their call scripting can be customized to your specific business needs. An answering service that answers and handles each call the same way for every business isn’t really helping anyone. Sure, gathering a name and number is important, but each business has different needs that should be able to be met by the service.

Since all businesses depend on customer loyalty, a personal answering service will let your callers know how important their business is. You love your customers, and a personal experience will show them how much you really do love them. Make sure you take the time to work with your answering service and personalize the experience as much as you can to make sure your business is being reflected.

#4. Know Your Budget

You’ll find telephone answering services ranging from $0 to start on a free trial to just about any price you can imagine. Most services do not have a flat rate structure but instead charge based on line activity. The more traffic you put through the answering service, the more expensive your price. So, if you have a high volume business – you can do the math there. Other answering services have different pricing tiers which offer allotments in use. With this, the cost is more affordable but you need to have a predictable monthly call volume for the cost to make sense. If you know your budget, your call volume, and how you plan on using the answering service, you can dictate the best pricing model for your business. Here are two common answering service billing structures:

• Per minute billing: In a per-minute billing structure, you are billed by the minute. Similar to a cell phone plan, these types of structures usually provide an allotment of minutes to use each month before having to pay for overages. A good answering service will offer several different plans depending on your call volume, and may even change your plan automatically if you happen to go over your usage threshold.
• Per call billing: In a per-call billing structure, you are billed by each call that comes in. Within this billing structure, it doesn’t matter how long your calls are. However, your answering service may charge extra for any messages sent, and calls that need to be dispatched may count as a separate billable call.

Pro tip: If your answering service offers both per-minute and per-call billing structures, it may be helpful to see which structure would be most cost-effective for you. Your service should be able to pull reports that break down your average monthly usage, which will help determine the better billing structure. 

#5. Evaluate Features Before You Buy

Before signing up with an answering service, always check to see if they offer a free trial period. This is a great way to get a feel for the service before having to pay, especially if the service requires you to sign a contract. If they do offer a free trial, here are some tips on getting the most out of that trial period:

• Place test calls: Placing test calls will give you an idea of what your customers will experience when they call. It’s also a great opportunity to make sure there are no hiccups with the call handling.
• Make updates: If there are any issues, the free trial period is a good time to iron out kinks and make necessary changes before going live with your customers.
• Test various features: Like this post suggests, answering services can typically do more than just answer your calls. The trial period is a good time to get acquainted with the various features they offer, and if they’ll work with your business structure. For example, you can test out their appointment scheduling software or see how their on-call dispatching system works.

#6. Consider You’ll Need an Online Interface

Some answering services offer email, text, or fax transmission of messages without the ability to check those messages online. While piecemeal messages may work for some, most businesses prefer having the ability to see their current and past messages online. With a web portal, you’ll have more control over reviewing your messages. While customer portals will differ from answering service to answering service, some common features may include:

• A log of call of your calls/messages
• The ability to listen to call recordings
• Access to your call handling and the ability to make updates in real time
• On-demand access to reports
• The ability to upload and manage your on-call schedule

#7. Emergency Dispatching System

No matter what type of business you run, you’ll most likely have a need for urgent dispatch. Whether you’re dispatching hot leads or urgent medical situations, you’ll want to find an answering service that can work closely with your in-house team and can adhere to your schedule(s) accordingly. Here are some things to look for in an answering service’s dispatching system:

• Are they available 24/7? Usually businesses use their on-call system for urgent issues that happen after-hours. If an answering service’s dispatching system is not available when you need them most, they probably aren’t the service for you.
• Can you make updates on your own or do they have to be submitted? Having to wait to submit changes can be detrimental if you’re in a bind. For example, say your on-call technician has a family emergency and can’t cover the shift. However, it’s already after-hours so your answering service’s customer support team is unavailable for immediate changes. When your answering service gives you access to an online portal or mobile app that allows you to make changes in real time, you can save the hassle of reaching out to customer service, and make the changes all on your own.
• Can you upload your existing schedule? Having the ability to upload your existing schedule right into your answering service’s system is a great time-saver and eliminates the need to do double the work.
• Are they HIPAA compliant? For medical practices, this is a big one. A HIPAA compliant answering service will not leave any patient information on your voicemail or through any messages. You would either be able to call your service back or log into a secure online portal to retrieve the message.

#8. Make Things Easy

Your answering service needs to be easy to use, and easy to make any changes. If you select a provider that makes it difficult to make script changes, make simple updates like changing a text message number or email address, or update your on-call schedule, it will hinder your company’s ability to work smoothly with your answering service provider. The point of an answering service is to help make running your business and handling day to day communication tasks easier – not more difficult. If you’re able to take free trial periods, you’ll need to spend a bit of time testing. Take advantage of any live demos to find out if the service you’re considering is user-friendly enough for your business and employees. Otherwise, you may find that your answering service is more of a pain to use and it’s not helping anything.

#9. Check 3rd Party App Compatibility

One of the issues you may have in finding the right answering service solution is that the system may need to be compatible with any software you’re currently using in your office. Because some software and calendars don’t play well with others (i.e. there is no API and operators may need to log in to post updates), the task can be a bit of a challenge. Depending on how important the integration is, you may need to rethink how important it is for your answering service to use it. If you do find a service that works with the software you’re already using, most integrations will push information gathered by the operators directly through to your software, updating it in real time and simultaneously cutting down on the amount of work you and your staff have to do since you won’t need to log into multiple systems to retrieve your data.

#10. Don’t Forget About Security

In many cases, your answering service will either be housing sensitive information or passing information back and forth between systems you’re already using. For medical practices or eCommerce companies, finding an answering service that is either PCI and/or HIPAA compliant is essential. If a medical or eCommerce company is using an answering service that is not compliant, they could be held accountable for any violations, which may result in thousands of dollars in fines, a loss of business, an even jail time. For these reasons, make sure the answering service you use is secure. Below is a break down of what it means to be both PCI and HIPAA compliant, and how answering services adhere to those rules.

• PCI Compliant:  To combat the increase in security data breaches, The Payment Card Industry and the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) were created. In order to maintain PCI compliance, companies who accept credit card information must complete a yearly self-assessment and pass a quarterly security scan. Some ways that answering services maintain PCI compliance is by requiring employees to work in paperless environments and turning off call recordings when taking payment information.
• HIPAA Compliant: HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was created to help regulate and protect the private health information of patients. In order to maintain HIPAA compliance, answering services cannot send any patient information through text, email or voicemail. All messages and calls should be stored in a secure online portal that customers can log into using a username and password. Answering services who are HIPAA compliant should also sign a BAA with  your company to securely disclose private information.

An Answering Service Is An Essential Business Tool

Remember, a telephone answering service serves a much greater purpose than just answering your telephone lines, taking messages, and dispatching important calls. It will make your customer service stronger, your day more productive, and callers won’t fall through the cracks like they do with voicemail.

The post 10 Things to Consider When Choosing an Answering Service appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

By analyzing our customer service requests, we’re working towards a better, friendlier customer experience to help drive customer delight throughout the year! Here are the top 5 questions our Support Team received and how we answered them!

#1. Will my calls still be answered?

The #1 question we get from customers each holiday season is if we will still be available to answer their calls while their business is closed. Of course, our answer is always a resounding “yes!” Specialty Answering Service is a 24/7 answering service. That means we’re available all day, every day – even holidays. While you were enjoying quality time with your friends and family, sipping on eggnog and kissing under the mistletoe, our operators were hard at work making sure each of your customers were greeted with a warm, friendly voice.

#2. How do I let my customers know I’m closed?

December office schedules are always variable. Between closing early for holiday parties, or even being closed for days or weeks leading up to and after the holidays, business owners need a quick way to let their customers know they’re unavailable – or an easy way to let the operators know they should be following a holiday or after-hours schedule. With SAS, there are many ways to go about doing this and it really depends on the customer’s preference on how they want to proceed. Below is a list of things we can do to an account:

• Add a temporary recorded greeting on the line which lists the holiday hours.
• Update the script by adding a Date/Time Function that will automatically direct the operator to the temporary call handling.
• Add a Status Update or Special to the account which will expire after the designated date and time.

#3. Can I add a temporary greeting to my line?

Adding a temporary recorded greeting to your line is a great way to alert your customers right away of your holiday hours and is much less time consuming than making edits to your actual scripting protocol. In addition, it can help cut down on your call volume as customers who are just calling to hear your business hours will get their answer before reaching an operator.

Just send us a shout and our in-house recording artist will record your temporary greeting, and we attach it right to your line. Then, after the holidays are over, get in touch with us again to remove the temporary greeting and apply your old greeting.

#4. Can I update my script temporarily?

For customers who want the operators to relay a different message or follow a different protocol during a specific time frame over the holidays, we can implement a programming feature called a Date/Time Function. Once programmed in, this feature will automatically direct the operator down a different path depending on the date and/or time of the call. Then, after the the specified time frame is over, the script will automatically revert back to normal.

For customers wanting to implement this type of programming update, we always suggest that they submit changes at least a week before they want the change to go into effect.

#5. I forgot to submit my changes before the holiday. How can I update my account in a jiffy?

We always recommend sending updates to our support staff during business hours and at least 2 days in advance. However, customers can still make on the go updates right from their portal or mobile app whenever they’re in a bind by adding a Status Update. A Status Update is a temporary note that appears in red on the first screen of your script for the operators to see.

Since Status Updates are just temporary notes and not an actual script adjustment, we usually don’t recommend adding these in lieu of a programming update. However, if a customer forgot to reach out to our Support staff in time for the change to go into effect, they are able to add a Special themselves by either calling into their own line and having an operator do it, or logging into their portal.

The post Top 5 Customer Support Questions We Received Over the Holidays appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

Tip 1: Learn how to use your online portal and mobile app.

Even if you’re using a bare-bones service, there will likely be an online portal or a mobile app where you can access your messages. After you sign up, set aside a few minutes to visit the knowledge base and read through a tutorial or two on everything that you can get out of the software. Or, ask a customer support representative to walk you through it.

Some services allow you to forward messages directly from your portal, document follow up notes and add tags, create login credentials for your employees and assign specific calls for them to address and track, integrate your existing appointment calendar, and more. It’s one-stop shopping for business communication, and it’s well worth your time to make the technology work for you.

Tip 2: Listen to call recordings.

If you’re working with a service that offers call recording and you’ve taken advantage of that feature, then it is in your and your customers’ best interests to listen to as many calls as humanly possible. We’ve all been on the other end of an unfortunate customer service interaction. As a business owner, you can appreciate how valuable it is to know just what people think of your organization, whether positive or negative. Don’t wait around for someone to complain about a bad call.

Be proactive. Take the time to listen and assess the operators’ performance as well as the way your call script flows, questions that prospective customers often ask, opportunities for up-selling and cross-selling, and anything else that strikes you. Then, contact your service to provide feedback, tweak your script, and re-calibrate your FAQs.

Tip 3: Update your on-call schedule.

Ten out of ten CEO’s agree that businesses function much more efficiently when people are actually at work. That goes for both regular office hours and reliable, after-hours assistance. There are a slew of industries where after-hours or emergency service calls are where you earn a sizable portion of your income. And, if you use a 24-hour dispatching service, they’ll need accurate on-call schedules and contact details if you expect to give a customer a tow at 9pm or fix a busted pipe at 3am.

While your service may provide an online on-call scheduler and notify you when it’s expired, in most cases, you’ll have to send your technicians’ calendar via email, or call the programming team to manage changes. Naturally, if you forget to do this and the service calls the wrong tech, you’re going to miss an opportunity to win over a new customer with your stellar skills and round-the-clock availability. That being said, don’t forget to do this. Send in updated availability each month, and be sure to include the right mobile numbers and email addresses for your entire team.

Tip 4: Check your usage regularly.

For those business owners who have disposable income, feel free to skip this tip. For everyone else, read on. Paying more than you have to for your answering service is not built into anyone’s budget. If you want to keep costs down, get into the habit of reviewing your usage at the end of every week and prior to the beginning of the next billing cycle. This data is typically accessible through your portal and may also be available as auto-generated weekly reports that can be sent directly to your email.

If you’re going over your plan allowance, increasing to the next tier can help you avoid costly overage charges. If you’re having a slower season and don’t need as robust of an option, you can reduce your plan to something more cost-effective. In either case, get in touch with the billing department and ask them to retroactively adjust your rates while you’re still within a billing month. Save a few bucks, and spring for lunch. Your staff will thank you.

Answering services are chock full of user-friendly features, designed with you in mind. When you’re ready to step out of endless overhead costs, step into a streamlined virtual front desk, and take your customer support business model farther, faster.

The post 4 Ways to Stay Connected With Your Answering Service appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.