There are many things that may factor into your decision-making process as you attempt to choose the best 24-hour answering service. Among them may be experiences others have had with those you are considering as well as the features each service offers. You may also use free trials as a chance to determine which service might be right for you and compare services based on cost. In most cases, however, cost should be secondary to the features and level of service a company offers.
One of the most important things to remember when you need to choose a 24-hour answering service is to avoid selecting based on advertising alone. Most companies will claim to offer the best available service, regardless of whether or not their statements are true. To ensure that you will get good service, one of the first places to start is with referrals and recommendations. You may ask other business owners about the 24-hour answering services they use and check online for reviews. This way, you may gain a better idea of which businesses will provide the level of service you seek.
Another way to compare 24-hour answering services in an effort to pick the best one is to choose a few good-looking options and evaluate them according to the features they offer. For example, you may consider how quickly they pledge to answer your calls and whether they guarantee your callers will never meet a busy signal or an unanswered call. Additionally, you may consider whether an answering service will simply provide a list of messages for you or also offer e-mail, text, and fax message services. If you need such services, you will probably prefer an answering service company with an up-to-date, computerized answering system.
Free trials may also help you choose the best 24-hour answering service. While some answering services may not offer free trials, others do provide an opportunity for you to see if their services will truly meet your needs. If you are seriously interested in a 24-hour answering service that does not provide free trials, you may call and ask the owner or manager to make an exception. Some businesses will make an extra effort to let you try the service if they believe there’s a good chance you will become a client.
Cost is often a factor in choosing a 24-hour answering service, but making it the main factor may produce unsatisfactory results. Often, the cheapest service isn’t the best one. Instead, you may have a better chance of choosing well if you evaluate several different companies and narrow your list down to a few that meet your needs. Then, you may do well to choose the least costly of those that remain on your list.