Hiring an answering service can help your business run more smoothly. However, when hiring a Las Vegas answering service, there are some questions you will need to ask in order to make sure it’s a good fit for your business.
Can you handle overflow calls? Many businesses hire an answering service to deal with calls that come in after hours, but there is more an answering service can do. Answering services can also help handle calls that come in while you are on the other line or busy with another customer. This helps ensure that a caller won’t be on the line for too long without getting their problem solved.
Are you HIPAA compliant? A Las Vegas answering service doesn’t legally need to be HIPAA compliant in order to help serve a medical office but, if you don’t want to risk any issues, this is an important question.
Are you prepared for a local disaster? Many businesses don’t think about what could happen if their answering service suffers from a natural disaster. A disruption in answering the phones can be a big problem for many types of businesses. This could lead to customers calling competitors or your phone lines being flooded with calls that you can’t answer. Find out what your answering service’s disaster plan is so you can be prepared.
What other services do you offer? Answering services can differ and some may have additional services that you aren’t taking advantage of. These services can range from emergency call handling to appointment setting. Today’s answering services can deal with almost every telephone-related duty, so make sure you know what your answering service is capable of before you hire someone in house to take care of any slack. You may be surprised that you aren’t taking advantage of your answering service fully and leaving money on the table.
What industries do you have experience in? Having experience in the same industry your business operates in will help you make sure that they can service your account and meet the needs your callers face. It also helps ensure that they can effectively communicate with customers and understand what matters to your business. It can even help them better understand the jargon that customers use.
How does the service ensure quality? Many answering services will say that they provide quality, but you want to take it a step further and verify what they are saying. Look at online reviews. Do remember that many times people use online reviews to vent, so be sure to have some perspective. Another way to check the quality is by looking at client testimonials. The answering service should be able to provide these if they aren’t already on the website. With so many answering service options, you need to make sure you are hiring a quality one.