Answering Service Consumers

Written by admin on April 25th, 2011

The face of the answering service consumer has changed greatly throughout the last thirty years. Originally the answering service, or exchange, was designed to handle the after hour’s emergency needs of the physician. The operator would sit in front of a switchboard and answer phone calls for the doctor’s office. The task was extremely straightforward and the fact that the caller had reached the answering service was never in question. The operators would answer the calls and identify themselves as the answering service. A familiar greeting in those days might have been, “Dr. Smith’s Answering Service” or “Dr. Smith’s Exchange”.

In the days of answering service past, there was a very distinct difference between the actual office and the call center. When a caller would reach the answering service they would receive a very different sounding ring. The caller could hear operators in the background and the call center agents had very little information about the company, outside of who was on call and when the office would be back in. Everything was very cut and dry. The office was either opened or closed. The caller reached the answering service or the office.

The Changing Face of the Answering Service Consumer
The answering service consumer is no longer just the doctor or emergency service provider. Today’s answering service consumer could be any type of business. Today’s answering service has the ability to disguise itself and appear to be the actual office. An answering service can seamlessly act as an offices receptionist, with the ability to take, manage and actually transfer calls.

The answering service consumer profile could include almost any business, from the butcher and baker to the candlestick maker. Most businesses can fit perfectly into a call center environment. The businesses could include:

Medical Practices
Retail
Mechanical Contractors
Road Service
Industrial
While any and every business could benefit from an answering service, most nontraditional companies are still using voicemail. The ability of the call center to help these businesses grow and prosper is the reason why many are using the service.

An Answering Service is a Wise Choice
Using a live answering service is a smart decision, regardless of what it is that a business does. While so much has changed, both in the profile of the answering service consumer and the abilities of the call center, one thing remains the same; businesses rely on their answering service. Whether it’s for after hours emergencies, or to help run day to day business, a call center can be a business’s best friend.

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