Achieve Winning Business Communications: Play Five

Play #5: Determine the Best Answering Service Partner who has KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE in your industry.

Here is a quick review of what your team has achieved so far on its way to the Super Bowl ...  

• Developed an understanding of what your company needs from an answering service or call center – VALUE or game plan. 
• Have focused on the benefits an answering service or call center can provide to your company. TYPE or Head Coach & LEARNING or your roster. 
• Understand the difference between services a call center versus answer service can provide. FEATURES or best plays. 

Now you have to find your assistant coaches with experience and who can share the knowledge and have the experience of achieving your team’s goals. So the next important question: How well does the service know your industry? 

Answering services that understand your industry should understand basic terminology within your industry. They should also understand the standards and expectations generally accepted throughout the industry. Lastly, they should have experience to help you through common challenges … because they have experienced those challenges before. 

Here are a few questions to help you determine the qualifications of an answering service or call center in your industry. 

1. How many clients does the answering service have in my industry?
   Determining how many clients they have will help you understand their knowledge and experience. Don’t hesitate to ask for references. Talking to others in your industry can give you insight into the quality of service provided by the answering service. 
2. What working knowledge of my industry does the answering service have?
   Ask if the answering services has different divisions. In other words, are there specific agents that understand your industry and are experienced when it comes to handling phone calls. Find out how the agents are trained and if they offer continuing education. Ask how your company can be involved in the training process. 
3. What challenges have the answering service faced?
   Ask for examples of challenging situations that answering service has faced. Discover how they faced the challenges and when problems do arise, find out what their protocols are for reporting to you. Ask how they helped to overcome challenges with other clients related to your industry. 
4. Does the answering service use industry experts for education?
   Industry service providers that are truly committed to their clients bring in experts to help with training. Find which experts play on ongoing role with the answering service. Some experts may act as coaches for the agents, others may interact directly with your customers.