subject: Starting An Answering Service [print this page] Responding to customers in a professional and timely manner is more important in business today than ever before. Customers want information on their schedule and expect your business to be open 24 hours a day to cater to their needs - and why not? I can get sports scores while checking data usage for my cell phone at 4AM so why shouldn't I be able to schedule an appointment with my doctor then too? The hardest part about customer service maintaining a team of employees who can field calls around the clock. To cut business costs, companies are outsourcing their customer service tasks to third party answering service providers or call centers. If you are the entrepreneurial type, how about starting your own answering service?
If you are ready to work hard and be your own boss, starting an answering service business can be rewarding. To succeed, you need to consider what your customers will want in an answering service.
Just answering phone calls is not enough. You need to be prepared for web interactions (i.e. accessing a customer's website), live chat support, order entry, and even email read and response. All of these bells & whistles are usually determined when you decide that type of software you will acquire to run the service. Obviously the more things the software can do, the more expensive it is. If you want to label yourself as a straight message service, the software is cheaper and there is still a need for that in the industry.
Technically speaking, starting a service is easy; you just need a computer, a telephone, and a high speed internet connection. You may just have one client when you start up the business and your revenue may not be so impressive at the initial stages, but don't not give up. Even answering services that spend little money advertising gain customers through word of mouth if they can provide exceptional customer service. The down side to the initial stages of answering services is you may have to stay awake at nights to answer a few calls that come in after business hours. If you decided to offer chat support, that's a bit more tricky because you need to keep your chat client open 24/7. Same goes with email support.
Some accounts will require training sessions before they initially forward their calls. Make sure you are pricing your service correctly and are being compensated for any training period. Actually, make sure your prices are high enough that you are actually making profit off each client. Some services don't know how to bill and keep their prices so low that they eventually go under water.
If you are targeting overseas customers, you need to setup VoIP software and make sure your phones can support international dialing. VoIP programs are applications that allow you to make and receive calls over the Internet and virtually eliminate long distance charges enabling you to target a larger audience. VoIP phones are also available that are like traditional telephones but they route the calls over the Internet.
Your first client is always going to be a referral for you. You aren't going to make much money but they will be an opportunity to grow your brand. Before signing a business deal, most companies will most likely want to speak with your current clients to make sure you are everything they think you are. Hence, ensure that your first client receives the royal treatment.
Be prepared to hire employees who can handle the calls, chats or e-mails on behalf of your company and don't be scared to spend money. The answering service industry can be rewarding and frustrating. If you are in it for the long haul and you always put your customers first, you'll be successful.
