You know the holidays are approaching when the temperatures drop, Christmas music plays on the radio, and the Starbucks red cups make their annual comeback. And for many businesses, this is also the time of year when the phones start ringing more. The lucrative busy season has arrived- are you ready?
To take the fullest advantage of the potential revenue that the holidays bring, many business owners and managers partner with live answering services. An answering service can help you keep up with an increased call volume and essentially stay “open” while you and your staff enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day with your loved ones.
If you’d like to learn more about how a holiday answering service works, you’ve come to the right place! Below we will answer and discuss the following questions:
- What is a live answer service?
- What services can an answering service provide?
- How much does an answering service cost?
- What is the difference between a call center and an answering service?
- What are the top answering service companies?
What is a live answer service?
As the name suggests, live answering services ensure that your callers get to speak with a real human. These individuals are educated and trained, and they work remotely to ensure that your calls get answered and that your customers receive great service.
What services can an answering service provide?
A live answering service can help you holiday-proof your business by providing additional support whenever you need it. Our friendly, trained live agents are available 24/7 to assist your customers and provide a variety of services including (but not limited to):
- Answering inbound calls
- Answering general questions
- Scheduling appointments
- Transferring calls
- Taking messages
- Providing customer support
- Bilingual operator services
How much does an answering service cost?
The cost of a holiday answering service can vary quite a bit and depend on many factors. With that said, a one-size-fits-all approach to pricing simply does not make sense. The team at Answering Service Care is happy to learn about your business and then create a custom package that fits your needs and budget. However, we will let you in on a few things:
- Our live answering services are typically cheaper and easier than hiring, training, and managing temporary seasonal employees.
- We’re here to work with you for as long (or as little) as you need us. If it’s just for the holiday season, that’s great. If you need us for longer, that’s great too!
- We won’t try to sell you services that you don’t need.
What is the difference between a call center and an answering service?
One of the most common questions we get is, “What’s the difference between a call center and an answering service?”Although both speak with a business’ customers on the phone, the biggest difference is the tasks they perform.
While a call center uses complex scripts to answer frequently asked questions, take orders, and qualify leads, a live answering service acts as your own 24/7 virtual receptionist. When you work with a live answering service, you can be sure that calls will be transferred seamlessly, messages will be relayed to the correct person, and customers will have their questions and problems solved with the highest level of care and efficiency.
What are the top answering service companies?
With numerous answering service providers out there, you have your pick at finding the right one for your business. Determining exactly what your needs are is a good place to start, and from there you can select the company that is the best fit.
Founded in 1974, Answering Service Care has decades of experience working with all types of businesses both year-round and during the holiday season. Here are some of the things that make us unique:
- We offer bilingual virtual receptionists to assist English and Spanish-speaking callers
- We offer HIPAA compliant virtual receptionists for healthcare businesses
- With telephone, text message, and live web chat answering services, we offer more ways for your customers to get in touch!
- We offer a mobile app that allows our clients to seamlessly manage their answering service account from their smartphone
