10 Tips for Choosing a Telephone Answering Service

1. Contact the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI)
   • Call toll free to (866) 896-ATSI (2874) or click on Find a Member to find a list of member companies in your area. When you call these companies ask the following questions:
     
2. Training
   • How is their staff trained? A standardized training program helps ensure that your callers will receive consistent service.
   • Do the company's employees attend national or regional educational and technical programs? This assures you that the company will have the latest information and training to provide you with a service plan designed to meet your needs.
     
3. Staffing
   • How does the company ensure that enough staff is available to minimize long rings or hold times?
   • What type of notice will they need from you if your call volume should increase due to special promotions, a change in office hours, etc?
     
4. Certifications
   • Does the company participate in the ATSI 24/7 Call Center Certification program for its business, supervisors, and customer service representatives? This comprehensive program covers over 60 critical points in operations, training and emergency procedures for the business site to be certified, and the supervisor and customer service representative certifications requirements include on-the-job experience and a demonstration of skills and job knowledge. The Certification program, a Peer Review Program focused on 99.99% Annual Run-Time, was introduced in 2002.
     
5. Awards
   • Does the company participate in the ATSI Award of Excellence service award? This program assesses a company's service level thru the evaluation of test calls. This award is presented annually to companies with a score of 80% or better.
     
6. Compliance
   • Does the company comply with local, state, and federal regulations and carry business insurance, including Errors and Omissions coverage?
     
7. Stability
   • How many years has the company been in business? What is the average tenure of the staff with this company? Is the company active in the local business community?
     
8. Reliability
   • Does the company have back-up power and redundancy of critical system components?
   • Does the company have a comprehensive Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan? If so ask to see a copy of it. Is this plan reviewed on a regular basis?
     
9. Available Services
   • Are customer service representatives available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays?
   • Does the company offer a combination of automation and customer service agents? If appropriate for your business, the use of a personalized announcement to give office hours combined with an option to access a customer service agent is one way to reduce expenses.
   • Does the company offer a variety of message notification methods such as e-mail, fax, alpha paging, voice mail and phone call to meet your current and future needs?
   • Do the customer service agents have the ability to access the Internet? If your company relies heavily on this technology be sure to ask about this.
   • Ask what other business support services they may offer. Many services now have the capability to schedule appointments and make reservations; provide help desk and dealer locate services; take product orders and track employee attendance. They may also offer telephone and video conferencing services.
     
10. Pricing
    • Make sure you understand how charges are computed. Charges can be based upon time or calls. The company should work with you to design a service package that offers your company the best value for its needs.
    • Ask for a written proposal. Request references and call them.