Telephone answering services come in different types, including live services, call centers, and automated services. Some services target specific professions, such as doctors and lawyers. Live services can be staffed by domestic workers or a larger workforce, while call centers are best for large companies with high call volumes. Automated services are less expensive and reduce communication errors. Specialized services are available for certain industries.
There are various types of telephone answering services to assist professionals in all industries. Some services in this category include automated answering services, live services, Internet answering services, and call centers. Some of these companies may also offer different phone answering service packages that target specific businesses or professions, such as doctors, salespeople, and lawyers.
A live telephone answering service comes in several formats. For example, some services are staffed by domestic workers that customers refer when they want coverage. In other cases, the live answering service employs a larger workforce in one location to provide phone coverage at phone banks. In either case, telephone calls received from the customer are handled in such a manner that the caller can believe that he has arrived at the customer’s office where a live person is employed as a receptionist.
A call center is a telephone answering service best suited to serving large companies with a very high volume of incoming calls. Also, when 24/7 coverage is needed, a call center makes a more practical choice, as many smaller services do not offer this feature. Call centers employ larger teams who work in shifts to provide 24-hour coverage for customers. Some companies have call centers as part of their own organization, while others hire external companies for this purpose.
Not all phone answering services feature a live person answering calls. Some Services are automated, using software applications or Internet technology. While they don’t offer the benefit of giving callers the impression of an active employee in the office, these services tend to be significantly less expensive than telephone answering services. Also, since callers leave a recorded voice message, the possibility of communication errors is greatly reduced. Some of these services also send an instant email or text message to the customer that a voice message has just been left, prompting the professional to look for messages as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
Certain types of telephone answering service have specially trained staff that target certain industries. For example, a physician may require a telephone answering service to hire individuals with a certain level of knowledge of basic medical terminology. Other professions that can benefit from using a specialized telephone service include lawyers and sales professionals.
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