The #1 Rated
Telephone Answering Service

A call answering service can be a human or machine lead solution to answering business telephone calls.

Usually, when people talk about answering services, they are referring to an external receptionist operating as an extended member of your team.

Service levels, prices and quality differ from provider to provider but the core offering remains the same.

Not all call answering services are built equal!

Your business will have its own unique requirements, and its important you find a partner that’s able to understand and deliver.

Some useful questions to ask any prospective call handling service:

1) How many operators will answer my calls?

Lots may lead to an impersonal “call centre” approach. Too few and you risk long average answer times, missed calls and potentially lost business and upset clients.

2) How long have you been in business? 

longevity and stability, beats new and cheap every time!

3) Do you have experience in my industry? (or with a particular 3rd party system) 

Don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials, reviews or references.

4) What is the notice period? 

One of the major advantages of outsourcing your calls is the flexibility it gives your business. The industry norm is 3 month rolling contract. At JAM we do things differently. 30 day rolling agreements as standard.

5) Am I tied into a commitment or bundle?

Call volumes are notoriously volatile. It can be tempting to “play it safe” and take a monthly bundle of committed minutes (often at a rate discount) but be careful you aren’t paying for minutes that you don’t actually use. Especially relevant if your business experiences seasonality.

6) Try before you buy!

Most people wouldn’t buy a new car without first taking a test drive.

Outsourcing your business phone calls should be no different. At the very least perform a few mystery shopper style calls to the answering service itself.

If the hold times are long, or the experience on the call is questionable – then run a mile!

Costs vary depending on the quality of the provider. In the UK expect to pay between £0.90 – £2 per minute.

There are two typical charging methods:

Per minute billing: This is one of the most common methods of billing. Companies are billed based on the call duration (i.e., the number of minutes). Therefore, the longer the time spent with a customer on the phone, the higher the cost. Most live answering services have plans with standard minutes, and additional fees are charged when you go over the plan’s allotted minutes.

Per call billing: In this method, you will be charged on the basis of the total number of calls received and handled.

Beware of call handling companies that promise the earth on a per call basis. Often they overpromise and under deliver. The receptionists handling your calls may be incentivised to rush the call, and they are often targeted on number of calls handled. This can have serious implications on quality and customer experience.

A live call answering service will provide your business with a unique divert number (know as a DDI).

You will divert your existing business phone number or mobile to this DDI (divert instructions vary by provider)

The diverted call traffic is routed to a receptionist (or group of receptionists) the DDI is recognised by the call handling company (via call handling software) and the call is answered to the clients instructions.

Once the call is handled, a message is taken or a call is transferred to a relevant person or department. 

Scripting is one of the key differences between a phone answering service and a call centre.

Call centre services are operated in a heavily scripted environment. On the contrary, phone answering services create simple scripts ensuring natural-sounding conversation with the customers.