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faq about our telephone call answering service
- How do you maintain such a high quality of service?
There are four elements to our Quality Assurance program.
- First, we hire the best people for the job. Every job applicant is thoroughly screened and only those meeting our high standards are selected for employment.
- Second, we provide professional training and a respectful and enjoyable work environment. The first two weeks are dedicated to one on one time with our trainer. This intensive training teaches a variety of communication skills, our own effective message management methodology, and the skills needed to use our technology and equipment. Next, agents complete Industry Specific training to ensure that they know our clients’ terminology and the kinds of situations that may arise.
- Third, we monitor the performance of our agents on an ongoing basis to provide constructive feedback for improvement. As an added measure, we also contract with our industry association to conduct random checks and provide us with an independent assessment of how we’re doing. We are very pleased to say that we have met the requirements for the Canadian Call Management Association’s Award of Excellence every year since 1992.
- Finally, we listen to our customers; if there is a concern, we want to know about it and will ensure that it is quickly resolved to your satisfaction.
With Re: Messaging Solutions you can be rest assured that both you and your customers will receive professional, friendly service as well as accurate message delivery each and every time.
- What are your service standards?
Most incoming calls are answered by the third ring. If we are particularly busy, after the fourth ring, the call is answered by an auto attendant and the caller asked to hold until an agent becomes available. Most calls that are not answered immediately are on hold for less than thirty seconds.
Incoming calls take precedence over email messages unless a distress reporting account has been set up. Email messages are normally processed within 30 minutes.
- How many of my calls can you answer at one time?
There is no absolute limit. That depends on how many business telephone lines you have and how many of these are set up for us to answer.
- How do you track agent time?
The time spent by our agents on your account is tracked by our computer system and billed by the second. When a call or email is answered by our message centre, your account information automatically appears on the next available agent’s computer screen. When the call has been dealt with, and the message delivered, your account screen is closed allowing the system to determine the exact number of seconds spent on your behalf. As a rule, most incoming calls where a message is left take less than one minute.
- If I live in a different local calling area will I be billed for extras like long distance charges when you deliver my messages?
No. Whether your messages are delivered by text messaging, fax, email, or live call there are no additional charges in Canada or the lower 48 states.
- Are all calls answered by a real person?
You do have the option of having us provide an Interactive Voice Response system that uses a series of recorded instructions and prompts; however most of our clients and their customers prefer live answering. 90% of calls are answered by the third ring, reducing hang ups to less than 3% when a live, professional messaging agent takes the call. With live answering there is a much better chance that the caller will leave a message.
- Will my customers know that an answering service is taking their call?
All calls are answered using your company’s corporate greeting. This usually means the name of the business or the name and slogan. Almost all callers will assume that the call is being answered by one of your own staff. The only time a caller will know that they are speaking to a
Re: Messaging agent is if they specifically ask if they are speaking to a telephone call answering service.
- Won’t customers be frustrated if they can’t speak to me directly or the messaging agent can’t answer their questions?
There are a few things to remember here. First, if you are concerned about urgent or important calls, we can locate you at another land line or via cell phone and patch the caller directly through to you. Second, information about your location, hours of operation, response times, prices, and any other information you provide, is immediately accessible to our agents when a call comes in and can be quickly relayed to the caller. Third,
Re: Messaging has employees with years of experience (up to 21) in this industry. This means that within a relatively short period of time, our agents will get to know your business and daily routine. Finally, even if your caller’s inquiry can’t be dealt with immediately, their interaction with a reassuring professional agent will give them confidence that their call is important and will be responded to as soon as possible.
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