Telephone Answering Service

Yes.

We understand that sometimes you might not be as busy as you thought you’d be, or are seeing an unexpected influx of new calls.

We always optimise your account depending on your usage. If you use our service less in one month we place you on the package required, likewise if you use more we move you up a package. 

All this means that without even thinking you are getting the best value for money.

All of your messages will be automatically forwarded to the relevant person via their preferred method, whether that’s email, text or through our dedicated customer portal.

Messages are stored in your client portal so you can refer back to them later or find them if you accidentally delete a message we’ve forwarded to you.

You’ll also get access to every call recording that is dealt with by your PAs so you can review how each is being handled and request changes if you’re not satisfied with something.

Our standard telephone answering contracts are offered on a 60 day rolling period after your free trial is over. You can alter your contract at any time if you contact us before that month’s invoice.

When you sign up for Face For Business’ telephone answering service you’ll be assigned a team of professional PAs – this is typically made up of three PAs and your account lead.

If one of your PAs is busy on a call when another comes in, the other members of your call answering team will be able to step in.

That depends on what you’d prefer us to do. When you sign up to our telephone answering service you can let us know whether you want us to deal with all your business’ incoming calls, or just to help with any overflow that you’re struggling to deal with.

We can set up automatic diversions for any calls you want us to handle, for example when your phone is engaged or if the call isn’t answered within a particular time.

During your onboarding we’ll collect the contact names and numbers of all the relevant employees that we’ll be working with so we have their information to hand for forwarding calls and messages quickly.

You can set out how you’d prefer us to deal with calls and the notifications for each team member as to whether they’d prefer notifications or messages via text, email or through our dedicated client portal.

If we’re handling diary management, we’ll sync your teams’ diaries with our own system so we have visibility over their availability for meetings and can automatically book appointments around the times they’re available.

Simple.

Unlike other telephone answering services, we give you access to the complete call recordings of every call we answer.

That way you can review exactly how your virtual assistants are dealing with your business’ incoming calls and request changes if you’re not happy with anything.

All calls are forwarded directly to you to access whenever you want.

Your telephone answering service might promise you the best call answering in the world, but how do you know they’re providing it? As well as providing you with your messages, your answering service should also be able to provide you with the complete call recordings of every conversation they have.

This way you can listen back and hear exactly how your PAs are dealing with calls and request any changes. At Face For Business for example we provide all your call recordings through your dedicated client app. Not every telephone answering service provides this service though, so make sure you ask.

Are the PAs dealing with your calls fully training receptionists with knowledge of your business and what you do?

Or are they simply given a phone and a script and set to work answering important calls without any real idea of what your business is about?

This training should go beyond simply how to answer the phone and take a detailed message.

Sometimes your PA might have a call they’re not prepared for.

If they get flustered and stumble, it’s not going to paint your business in the best light.

Ask what training your team gets and also whether it’s a basic ‘introductory’ training when they first start or if it’s ongoing.

For the record, all of our PAs go through a rigorous 13 weeks training program including basic call handling, followed by three stages of calls until they’re able to confidently deal with any type of caller.

This is followed by ongoing training as they continue working with us.

You’re hiring a telephone answering service to take on the calls you can’t manage on your own, but your level of calls likely won’t be the same year round.

This means your requirements for a call answering service will likely change year round too.

Although you might sign a contract with a telephone answering provider, you should look for a service that’s flexible and can scale in line with what your business needs – without causing disruption to the service or incurring penalties.

With most telephone answering services you pay based on the call volume or time spent on calls.

Even if your business deals with hundreds of calls, this price still works out significantly cheaper than the £30,000 a year you could end up spending on a full-time receptionist.

You’ll also likely have a range of options and prices to choose from with a telephone answering service so you can build your service around your budget.