Edwards Answering Service Is The Answer For Business Owners
Providing the greater New England business community with exemplary service for 60 years, Edwards Answering Service has long been a dominant name in their field. However, we’ve also shown the ability to consistently innovate. For example, our virtual PBX services allow call information to be backed up so that information is never lost, while our database management capabilities ensure that customers can be treated with the same respect and care they received when a business was handling this responsibility in-house.
With e-mail messaging services, internet answering services and mobile messaging, business owners who want to bring their communications ability into the 21st century should contact our representatives today.
Your customers’ needs are many and we have the systems and technology in place to meet those needs. View the many services we have to offer below…
With the rise of social media, smartphone communications, and online shopping, consumers expect to be able to gain up-to-the-minute information from business owners with the click of a button. Whether it’s by e-mail, fax, paging or a phone call, business owners also expect to be able to analyze trends in their customer base in real time so that they can implement adaptive solutions.
As a result, some business owners and company managers have needed to invest in new technology that allows them to increase the capabilities of their phone answering service to handle this growing demand. Adding to this difficulty is that retaining the personal appeal and professional information that clients and customers were accustomed to during the integration of internet services, virtual PBX and other communications necessities can be challenging. Due to this pressure, businesses can very quickly find that their commitment to this part of the company is overwhelming their other essential day-to-day activities.
As such, many business owners turn to a professional answering service that allows them to outsource this essential task to an established outbound call center. However, with more than 2,500 companies competing in the telephone answering service business according to past Census Bureau estimates, it can be difficult for business owners to find a service that is truly able to strike this balance.
• Local Number: You will be assigned a local telephone number. Use this number to call forward to or advertise as a direct way to reach you 24/7. If you request an 800 number for your callers to contact you, we can do that as well.
• Fax: Receive your messages via fax any time of day or week, customized to your specific schedule.
• Paging: Be notified that someone is trying to reach you regardless of what device you carry. We can communicate with digital beepers and alpha beepers. Both are used by several clients as ways to be notified that a caller is trying to reach them.
• Appointment/Reservation Setting: Booking appointments is crucial, especially for new prospects. You can use our appointment scheduling software to give our operations team the ability to fill your schedule, even after business hours.
• Voice Mail: Present your callers with the opportunity to leave you a confidential voice mail message, or have your account programmed using our advanced voicemail tree set up to help guide your callers to the appropriate department or dedicated live answer.
• Text Messaging: Use this method of communication for quick and effective notifications of someone trying to reach you. You can even text back to us to confirm receipt of the message or relay special instructions.
• Secure Text Messaging: This feature was developed for the purpose of keeping private health information (PHI) secure so that you can meet the standards set forth in the HIPAA/HITECH laws enforced by our federal government. Our current medical clients use this feature, but it’s also available to the commercial and professional industries.
• E-mail: Receive your messages and even voice mail recordings to one or a group of e-mail addresses any time of day or week to your specific schedule.
• Patching/Conferencing: Connect with your callers directly through our operations system. Have our dispatchers connect you directly to your caller or your caller directly to you using our line.
• Order Entry: Generate leads into sales! Have us use your website to process orders for you 24/7.
• Database Management Service: Providing us with a list of information can help to assist your callers with verification of information and give us the chance to assist you in building and managing that list.
• Online Web Portal: This gives you the opportunity to manage your on-call schedule and the messages taken by our operations team 24/7/365 from any computer or mobile device that can access the internet.
Choosing a provider with varied offerings
Small businesses who choose to work with an answering service provider may want more than just live answering. But, they should still look into a company’s ability to manage what is essentially the backbone of this service. For example, business owners may want to find out how an answering service trains its representatives, looking closely for ones that promise to give customers full attention and avoid hitting the hold button to resolve issues.
However, medical providers, for instance, may benefit the most by securing a service that allows patients to text message questions, concerns or appointment rescheduling, and a service that is equipped to handle making appointments may be even more valuable to providers looking to downsize as they prepare for the technological transitions that are gripping their industry.
Choosing an experienced partner for your answering service needs
Given that many businesses are outsourcing their answering services as a solution to rising costs, new providers may be looking to establish their reputation by offering big deals or discounted incentives. However, these outlets may not be the best bet for business owners that want reliability. After all, while saving money on monthly bills is important, company decision-makers need to ensure a continuity of service so they can give their employees and customers a sense of stability – something that likely won’t be provided by a service that quickly succumbs to the pressures of the market.
As such, an answering service that has consistently shown the ability to update with the times may be what business owners are looking for. Since these businesses have weathered difficulties in the past, they are also more likely to be able to avoid issues that happen when inexperienced representatives speak with irate customers.