What is an Answering Service?

The fundamental definition: “A telecommunications service provider that is employed by a business to process incoming telephone calls. A message is taken and then delivered per the customer's instructions. Real human beings process these calls.”
Often combined, there are three primary functions that a telephone answering service can provide, depending on the type of business or professional client:
  1. to relay urgent calls to on-call personnel
  2. to screen, usually after-hours, to protect company personnel from unwanted calls
  3. to provide an off-site “front office secretary” in order to replace an expensive on-site staff member or, to handle occasional excess traffic

As the owner it is important to make the distinction between those answering services that provide consistent quality and those that do not. It is extremely important that operators provide a superior level of quality.

"An operator should never sound like a telephone answering service employee, but as a member of my staff. The person taking my calls must be a team player who actually cares about my customer’s needs and who reflects that caring with a cheerful, professional approach. He or she must have a solid understanding of what is required so they can confidently and quickly route my caller to the proper person within my business. Errors in relaying information, spelling and grammar must not happen. Professional comportment and a cheerful personality are mandatory"


Vicky Chavez
A Communications Link