What Industries Use On-Call

Medical professionals and HVAC techs will typically have their answering service use on-call rotations. For medical professionals, doctors are on-call after hours and on weekends, meaning they are available to speak with for medical emergencies. For HVAC technicians, on-call is used to describe the technician available to make an emergency site visit after hours. However, doctors and HVAC technicians are not the only businesses who use on-call rotations. Some examples of other small businesses that rely on on-call systems are:

1. Property Management Companies
2. Law Firms
3. Veterinary/Animal Hospitals
4. Locksmith Companies
5. Insurance Agencies
6. Towing Companies
7. Restoration Companies

How Do Answering Services Use On-Call?

Every answering service is different, so how each service manages your on-call data will also vary. For example, some services are able to maintain schedules years out in their software, where others may only accept a singular employee – meaning you need to inform the answering service each time the schedule changes. While the mechanism for how answering services access and program on-call schedules may vary, the premise is always the same. You provide the service with information of who to contact and when to contact them, and they contact your employees when necessary.

Once your on-call data is programmed into the answering service’s system,  the agents will know who to contact (the employee on-call), how to contact them (various phone numbers), and when to contact them (only after hours or only in emergency situations). For example, your schedule may show that on Tuesday, Dr. Stacy Brown is on-call from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM for emergencies. So, any calls received on Tuesday between those times deemed an emergency will be dispatched to her.

Pro tip: Find out from your answering service what phone number messages and calls will be coming from so that you can give your on-call team a heads up. If they do not recognize the number that is calling them, they may miss important phone calls.  

Types of On-Call

There are 6 different methods for contacting your employees where answering services can use an on-call schedule, though you are never limited to 1 of these 6 methods. Many businesses will combine some of the below examples to maximize successful contacts with their on-call personnel.

• Warm Patch: A warm patch, also known as a warm transfer, is when the answering service places the caller on hold to reach out to the appropriate on-call person. If the person does not answer, the agent would try another number. If that person does answer, the agent would inform the on-call who is on the other line and why they are calling. They would then transfer that caller through. If that second person did not answer, usually services won’t attempt to call a third number while the caller is still on the line, as they’ve already been waiting on hold for some time. However, if they still need to make contact with someone, they could then go to a reach (see below).
• Cold Patch: A cold patch, or a cold transfer, is similar to a warm transfer except the agent will not call the number first to see if someone is available. They will simply just send the caller through to either talk to the on-call or leave a message if no one answers.
• Reach: A reach on-call occurs after the answering service agent has already documented the necessary information and disconnected from the caller. Since the caller is no longer on the line, the agent can continue to call until someone picks up. If they are calling for a long period of time, usually the reach can be shared among operators so that one agent doesn’t get stuck making all of the outbound calls.
• Email: If your on-call personnel doesn’t wish to receive phone calls, you could just set up an email only on-call schedule that would simply send emails. Some services may send standard emails and some may send them as email to text (meaning that they are sent via a mobile email address but show up as a text message).
• Text: Similar to an email only schedule, a text only schedule would simply just send a text message to the on-call person or group.
• Page: Since paging has become somewhat outdated, not all answering services will offer this feature. However, answering services that cater specifically to medical accounts will probably still use paging as their primary method of reaching an on-call physician.

Does it Cost Extra?

Typically, there is no extra fee to utilize an on-call feature with your answering service. However, depending on how your service bills, you will incur more charges based on the usage that is accrued during the actual on-call attempt. For example, an answering service that bills by the call may charge you for each outbound call they make or each text and/or email they send to reach the on-call personnel.

On the other hand, an answering service that bills by the minute will charge you a per minute rate for each dial out attempt. So, while you may not see an extra charge on your regular invoice, the time spent making the reach outs will be included within your plan’s usage.

On-Call and HIPAA

Since medical offices and hospitals often use answering services to dispatch urgent messages, it’s important to make sure that PHI (private health information) stays protected. Generally speaking, most answering services are HIPAA compliant, so they abide by the regulations outlined by HIPAA. This means that no patient data can be sent via text or email, and no patient information can be left on a voicemail. So, while it does pose some challenges, there are always work arounds.

In regards to messaging, answering services that are HIPAA compliant can either fax messages, or they can give you access to a secure online portal that stores all of your messages in one place. Then they would just send you a text or an email that alerts you of a new message, with instruction to log into your portal. In regards to leaving messages, agents won’t be able to say who called or what it was about, but they can either leave a call back number so you can contact your answering service back to retrieve the information, or you can just log into your portal for the details.

Problems You May Encounter Working With On-Call Schedules

• Forgetting to Update the Schedule: If you forget to update the on-call schedule, chaos may ensue. Your answering service may default to calling the last person who was on-call, or they may not call anyone. Usually there is some sort of back up for emergencies, but you always want to make sure your on-call schedule is updated. We suggest updating or sending your schedule a month in advance to the answering service (if you can) so that you don’t have to worry about it until the next month rolls around. It’s also helpful to set a reminder for yourself so that it does not fall through the cracks. The last thing you want is to be woken up at 3am when you’re not the one on-call!
• Forgetting to Update Contacts: While you may remember to update the schedule itself, you have to remember to update the contact information as well. From our experience, often times we’ll see that we are calling the right person, but their number has changed. Or maybe an employee no longer works for the company yet we are still calling them. So, treat your answering service as an extension to your business and make sure that whatever changes occur on your side, also occur on their side.
• Setting up Improper Procedures:  If you’ve never used an answering service to dispatch urgent messages, you may not be using all of the methods available for outreach. For example, some companies may just set up a text schedule and then wonder why they missed urgent messages throughout the night. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wake up in the middle of the night when I get a text, and chances are your technicians don’t either. So, perhaps you can set up a texting schedule during the day, and then a calling schedule over night, or set up both a texting and calling schedule to work in tandem, just in case.

Benefits of Using an On-Call System

• 24/7 Customer Support: Letting your callers know that they can still reach you after hours gives an added sense of security, even if they may be in a crummy situation. When your customers or patients know that you are there for them to take care of their emergency, they will return the favor by giving you more of their own business, in addition to recommending you to others.
• Quick Resolution: No one likes waiting for their issue to be fixed, especially now when technology allows users to receive information within seconds. When your callers are stuck in a predicament after hours, they may not want to wait for you to be available during business hours. They are going to call other businesses until someone is able to help them. This means a potential loss of business for you, which leads us to our next point…
• More Business: If a caller knows your company offers after hours service, you open up the door for way more business opportunities. In addition, many companies use after hours service as a way to charge extra for their techs to go out, which means more money in the bank. All in all, being available after hours will leave a lasting impression to your customers.

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First things first. Make a list, and check it twice.

You certainly have the potential to pull in your share of this season’s serious retail revenue – and the key is to be well-prepared. If you weren’t ready for the swell of Thanksgiving Day and post-turkey day shoppers, don’t lose your feathers. There is still time to get things going in the right direction. Here’s a list of a few e-commerce basics that you’ll need to review:

• Double check with your IT team to find out if your servers can handle increased site traffic. If not, then add a backup server, or consider cloud hosting services.
• Keep your web content simplified for fast page loading.
• Revisit the site layout. Is it inviting and easy to navigate?
• Advertise discounts front-and-center.
• See to it that you have the right selection of merchandise.

Did you ask Santa for stellar customer care?

Servers, web content, and product availability should obviously be pretty high up on your holiday checklist. But one thing that many e-commerce retailers neglect is paramount to anything you offer online – great customer care. Unless you make it easy for your customers to shop with you, they will click their way to your competitors faster than you can say jingle bells. That’s why offering exceptional customer service at every stage of the shopping experience is hugely important. Bonus: it’ll also land you a coveted spot on the Nice List.

In some cases, customers’ needs can be addressed via live web chat. However, not everyone is comfortable with live chat. Some people need the personalized service that only a phone call can accomplish. With that idea in mind, many e-commerce companies outsource their customer support to an answering service. That’s where Specialty Answering Service comes in!

‘Tis the season for SAS.

In a flooded online marketplace, even one bad review can damage your reputation. And unhappy customers mean that you can all but forget about positive word-of-mouth advertising. So, while you focus on major e-commerce elements such as merchandise selection and site layout, Specialty’s e-commerce call center will give you a hand with order taking, answering questions, providing shipping info, and processing payments. Our well-trained, live agents are friendly, reliable, and available 24/7/365 – because the Internet never sleeps!

With SAS on your team, customers will always be connected to a real person, not an impersonal, automated answering queue. Our 14-day free trial gives you an opportunity to see how a skilled call center can help you raise revenue at the most critical time of year for all retailers – when your bottom line goes from red to black. And after the trial period ends, we can continue to grow with your business and adjust your call handling as your needs change.

Even the North Pole outsources.

A sure way to increase customer loyalty and build trust in your brand is to make customer service excellence a focal point of your business plan. That’s why Santa uses SAS. (Afterall, even magic Elves need a hot cocoa break…) With 30 years’ experience in the call center industry, Specialty Answering Service is a one-stop-shop for your sales, service, logistics, and customer care needs. We are known for our innovative call center solutions and client-friendly technology that will keep you up-to-speed as each call rolls in. So, what are you waiting for?

Get started on your free trial today, and let SAS make your holiday season bright. For those National Lampoon’s fans out there, we leave you with an uplifting quote from Cousin Eddie. SAS: “That’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.”

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When you partner with a telephone answering service for lead capture services, you are getting a live operator, 24-hour, direct line to increased revenue. Here’s a look at a list of features essential to every top notch lead capture service:

• Custom scripting: It helps the call center receptionist steer the caller towards a purchase, a scheduled appointment, or whatever factors are key to industry growth.
• Patching: Warm transfer places each lead directly into your lap, ensuring that you won’t miss an opportunity as a result of the caller reaching your voicemail, then calling up your competitors.
• Bonding time: One-on-one time with call center management serves to emphasize the points you want to drive home during each call.
• You are the trainer: Learning from and absorbing your marketing style via personalized operator training gives them an in-depth knowledge of your business that will result in closing more sales.
• Having your back: While your office staff may not be able to manage the high call volume of special promotions or direct response marketing, your call center can.
• Saves time: Lead details can be entered directly into your CRM via a web-to-lead or web-to-case function.
• We are you: Using your FAQs, operators can provide current and prospective customers with information about products, services, pricing, special financing, or whatever your particular needs may be.
• Quality first: Quality control efforts continuously review operator’s in-call performance as well as review your script for areas that may require minor adjustments to maintain proper call flow.

When you consider how critical new leads are to your business, while simultaneously recognizing the importance of cultivating the relationships you have with existing customers, it makes working with a lead capture service a no-brainer. 24-hour live operator call center support translates to happier customers, and in turn, an improved bottom line.

Want to find out more about what SAS can do for you? Contact us today.

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1. It unburdens your in-house staff, and it’s more cost-effective. Not only does outsourced outbound telemarketing lighten your employees’ load, but contact center agents will likely reach double the number of people that your team can in the same amount of time, because they have a singular focus. The math is obvious. The more people you call, the greater the chance for a sale.
2. There’s a greater chance for sale conversion. Many online retailers these days will link their websites to their call centers, so that all the consumer has to do is click a button, enter their call-back details, and they will receive a call from a customer service representative just itching to help them make a purchase.
3. It keeps customers on your radar. Or vice versa. Consider car dealerships. After you go in for a test drive, sales personnel will make outbound calls to entice you to purchase or lease from their lots. They may even sweeten the deal by offering you a lower price than they initially quoted, throw in some upgrades, or complementary service plans – and it works.
4. Some retailers use outbound telemarketing as a customer retention strategy. How many times have you received those “how did we do” calls, asking you to provide feedback on a recent customer service transaction? Showing buyers that you are not only interested in their opinion, but continuously striving to improve upon their shopping experience, is a great way to ensure customer loyalty. And statistics have shown that it costs less to keep a current customer than it does to try to capture a new one.
5. Thank you. Those two words have a tremendous impact on your company’s reputation. When you make it a point to thank your customers for their patronage, you lay the ground work for future purchases. Not only that, but it gives you an opportunity to upsell or cross-sell. For example, you might thank a customer for their recent laptop purchase, then ask them if they would like to purchase an extended warranty or anti-virus protection. Think revenue.
6. It’s a fabulous follow-up to mailers or email marketing. Take stock of your mailbox or email inbox. How many ads or messages are there from businesses you frequent alerting you to their most recent promotions? Then, think about how many of those ads you toss, and how many of those emails you delete. Outbound calls from retailers asking if you are aware of their special offers or sales are a smart way of getting you to buy in.

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Well, they may have been great at busting ghosts, but when it came to business sense, the Ghostbusters weren’t working with fully loaded proton packs. From their secretary’s poor phone manner to a total lack of discretion on service calls, they were a hot mess. It’s a shame they didn’t have the foresight to outsource when things started blowing up (yeah, literally). Just think. If they had stayed on top of their game, maybe Gozer would have been a little more reluctant to initiate a hostile takeover of NYC. And Vigo wouldn’t have had so much freedom to create that whole river of slime thing. Here’s a list of 12 things that outsourcing could have done for the Ghostbusters, and can definitely “do” for your small business.

1. Lead Capture

Hello, Ghostbusters… Yes, of course they’re serious… You do?…You have?…No kidding! Just gimme the address… Oh sure, they will be totally discreet. Thank you! [hangs up] WE GOT ONE!

Janine Melnitz Secretary

Their first job was met with a resounding exclamation from Janine Melnitz, receptionist not-so-extraordinaire. Lead capture at its best. That’s what outsourcing can do for your business. The more calls you pick up, the more business you’ll have coming in. An increase in profits will cause such workplace excitement that it might even make the toaster in your breakroom dance – no pink ooze required!

2. Whistleblower Hotlines

I’m givin’ this whole thing as a promotional expense, that’s why I invited clients instead of friends.

Louis Tully Accountant

Oh, Louis Tully, the accountant turned lawyer who uses words like “mistrangement” and talks openly of misappropriating company funds to throw a party. Were they all really clients? We’ll never know. Meanwhile, if his firm had an anonymous whistleblower hotline for employees to call when workplace fraud is suspected, maybe Louis wouldn’t have been home throwing that party when the snarling Gatekeeper, Vinz Clortho, showed up at his door and turned him into a dog.

3. Clear Communication

Mr. Mayor, we’re here tonight because a psychomagnotheric slimeflow of immense proportions is building up beneath the city.

Power Meeting Mayor’s Office

Whether you are busting ghosts, selling cars, or fixing leaky faucets, prospective customers need to speak with knowledgeable staff every time they contact your business. Complex language and confusing information can be a turnoff. Answering services have a straightforward approach that can fully inform your callers, supplying the details they need in a quick, concise fashion. Communication channels can be unified so that every department’s extensions ring to the same number (which will be answered at the call center), and email, live chat and social media outlets can be monitored by representatives with a keen understanding of your small business. Many providers also offer bilingual operators, fluent in English and Spanish. So issues stemming from improperly trained employees and language barriers become a thing of the past. Like, seriously psychomagnotheric – in a good way.

4. Better Customer Service

Janine Melnitz wasn’t so spectacular in the customer care department. In fact, she was downright awful.

Ghostbusters. Whaddya want? [Translation: What do you want.]

Janine Melnitz Secretary

Outsourcing to the right answering service can ensure friendly, professional support on every call. Your reputation will remain intact, and not only that, but better service usually results in repeat customers, glowing referrals, and new client acquisition. Happy customers are loyal customers!

5. Appointment Scheduling

The Ghostbusters never could get a break. From the minute supernatural forces started taking over NYC, they were on the job, taking calls and busting ghosts non-stop. With so many specters to slay and so few hours in the day, you have to wonder how they kept track of their appointments. Had they outsourced their customer care needs, call center operators could have scheduled tech appointments on virtual calendars, sent them regular updates regarding adjustments or cancellations, and might have even made appointment reminder calls to potential customers, making sure they would be around when Ecto 1 showed up.

6. Supersize Your Image

Your business may not be as big as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but outsourcing can give it a larger-than-life appearance. Whether you are a one-man office or medium sized organization, having call center staff man your phones perpetuates the illusion that your company is bigger than it really is. People gravitate towards the most successful businesses, the ones that have client rosters longer than the Empire State Building. Outsourcing can give potential customers the impression that you are so prosperous and sought after that you need extra help just to manage your inbound calls. And that’s exactly what you want them to think.

7. 24-Hour Coverage

You remember the infomercial.

Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a spook, specter or ghost? If the answer is “yes,” then don’t wait another minute. Pick up the phone and call the professionals…Ghostbusters. Our courteous and efficient staff is on call 24 hours a day to serve all your supernatural elimination needs. We’re ready to believe you.

Ghostbusters Infomercial Late Night TV

It’s self-explanatory, right? Outsourcing offers your customers the convenience of 24-hour assistance, 365 days a year.

8. Sales Support

I had no idea it would be so much. I won’t pay it.

Hotel Manager Snooty Hotel

You are the Keymaster, the owner, the head honcho. But you need a trusted Gatekeeper to help your sales department stay ahead of the game and qualify more leads. Outsourcing can do that. Virtual services assist with order entry, payment processing, delivery information, and returns; essentially anything your sales team does from your home office. They can even take payments before dispatching for service contractors like electricians, HVAC professionals, towing companies, limo services, locksmiths, and more. That way, payment is guaranteed before technicians or drivers are dispatched. The Ghostbusters nearly got stiffed on the bill when they had to get Slimer out of that hotel ballroom. When you outsource, you won’t have to worry about anyone telling you they won’t pay.

9. Customization/Brand Identity

We’re the best. We’re the beautiful. We’re the only, Ghostbusters.

Peter Venkman The Ghostbusters

The Ghostbusters were positively one-of-a-kind. But even if there were 10 different ghost-busting businesses, no two companies would be the same. That’s why it’s so important to maintain brand identity. Call centers can customize features to fit the specifics of your business. They can answer the phone the way you would like, respond to customers’ queries using your pre-determined FAQs, and even give franchises consistent frontend support across the board. Just because you outsource your phones, doesn’t mean you will lose any of the intricacies that separate you from your competitors.

10. Emergency Services/Dispatching

Lieutenant, I think you’d better talk to this guy. It’s some dock supervisor down at Pier 34. He says the Titanic just arrived.

Police Department New York City

As Dr. Venkman said, “This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.” And in any disaster – natural or manmade – having an effective emergency services plan is critical. Call centers can work with you to establish the proper protocol in the event of a catastrophe. They can send out voice or email messages en masse to your database of clients and employees, assist in areas such as product recall and returns, dispatch technicians to job sites in situations when immediate response is needed (think tow trucks, fires, medical transport), all the while keeping callers calm and well-informed. So when the Titanic floats into your local pier and ghosts start walking out of that gigantor hole in the ship’s hull (“Well, better late than never!”), your outsource provider will be there to field calls and dispatch professional ghost hunters to the scene pronto.

11. Market Research

We’re running tests to see if we can get an equally strong positive response… We sing to it, talk to it, and say supportive nuturing things to it.

Ghostbusters Training a Toaster

Chances are pretty good that you’re not hocking mood slime and conducting follow-up surveys to see what people think about it. But whatever kinds of market testing you are considering, from opinion research to demographics analysis, outsourcing can help. Often, this can be in the form of inbound answering or outbound calling. For example, with inbound, customers may be asked to rate their experience via phone following a customer service transaction. With outbound, operators may be assigned lists of individuals to contact, gauging interest on new products still in the research and development phase. Whatever the case, even if you are selling mood slime, outsourcing your market research needs can take the burden off in-house staff and collect feedback that will enable you to continuously improve your products and services.

12. Regulatory Compliance

Certain government, financial, or healthcare agencies may be bound by regulatory constraints. Call centers can accommodate those needs, too. From information security requirements to HIPAA to emergency dispatching protocol, outsource providers will follow your guidelines to a tee, adhering to whatever laws govern your organization. If the Ghostbusters had given a hoot and properly addressed their EPA code violations, maybe Walter Peck wouldn’t have shut down the grid and caused a mass exodus of entities from the holding system, triggering the coming of Gozer, and leaving the entire city covered in marshmallow fluff! We blame Janine Melnitz.

Wow. Who would have thought you could learn so much from Pete, Ray, Egon, and Winston? (Ok, ok – Janine, too…) They may have been experts at banishing Zuul from a subzero, but they had abysmal business sense. So what’s the moral of the story? Unless you need instruction on how to operate a recently acquired proton pack, or you think it would be *super* cool to make the Statue of Liberty walk, do not take your cues from the Ghostbusters. Instead, look into outsourcing. You’ll be glad you did.

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