answering service (GrandPAH)

John Starcher_4

While I agree that there is no substitution for a live voice, I too got nothing but frustration from the different answering services I used.

Here's what we do now. It's not perfect, but it's the best system I've been able to come up with.

Each tech carries a Nextel phone. At the end of the day, we forward our office phone to the "on-call" tech's cell phone. He then forwards his phone to voice mail. If someone calls after hours, they hear a greeting to the effect of, "You have reached Starcher Enterprises 24-hour emergency service request line. If you need emergency service, please leave a message at the tone. The technician on call will call you back within 20 minutes. If you are not calling to request emergency service, please call us during normal business hours, which are....."

The reason the tech forwards his phone directly to voice mail is to reduce the number of "non-emergency" calls he actually has to field. We try to keep his inconvenience to a minimum.

Again, it's not perfect, but it's the best I can do. Plus, I'm already paying for the phones, so I don't have the added expense of an answering service.

Starch

Dave Yates (PAH)

service, service, service

Or the lack thereof! We're thinking of firing our current answering service. Their level of service has fallen off and they've become more & more difficult to deal with as years have passed and owners have changed.

Anyone have experience with the multitude of national answering services I see when Googling?

I've always felt a "live" voice is worth its weight in gold, so answering machines are not an option.

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Weezbo

Brilliant Observation!

For Portuguese ,press 178....

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Probably getting VERY hard to find good, true human service. My parents ran a telephone answering service as part of their secretarial and printing service for decades. They sold (well--virtually gave) the telephone and walk-in business to a couple who bought their house in the mid 1990s. They lost the business and house within six months. Answering service income alone was enough to pay the bills, but they couldn't handle the hours.

Mom had lots of plumbing & heating companies as customers. I have no idea what they're doing now as nobody (at least local) still offers the service where they live.

Wayne_17

answering service

A few years back I found Executive answering service to be truely the best. I think they are located in New Hamphire or something like that. They use 800 numbers for the customer to reah them and another 800 number for you to reach them. I would let the customer call my number and call forward it to the service.

Bill_14

Answering Service

Dave,

They all start out really good and then begin to taper off in time...especially the night and weekend crews. The best service will be the "executive" type service that hand-picks clients and does not overbook.

Another option would be to "call foward" your line to an on-call phone or to your phone. The person answering the phone has to realize that every call received is a possible customer.

Another option would be to use the telephone company feature that is called "Call Notes" in our area. This is many steps up from an answering machine and has some add-on features.

Another option is to stop doing "on-call" work...an option that is really sounds appealing to me.

G'Luck!!
Bill