For any business, customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. First impressions are lasting impressions and surveys show that 9 out of 10 people prefer to speak to a 'real person' rather than a 'machine'. Almost everyone can remember a time when they had a bad experience with telephone answering machines, or were put 'on hold' only to be forgotten about. That image of frustration will be the first thing a potential customer remembers about a company or private party. Employing a live phone answering service may be one of the best investments a company can make.

When deciding which live phone answering service will best meet a company's needs, it's worthwhile to research the abilities that competing answering services can offer. If at all possible, it's always best to look for an answering service that guarantee's all incoming calls to be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customers and clients sometimes call at odd hours, needing customer support.

Whether choosing a live operator who only asks and gives basic information, or a more specialized operator able to field slightly technical issues, a friendly and helpful voice is a great promotional tool. Even in this highly automated era, people appreciate and respond best to live call takers. A customized answer will ensue, assuring the client that they have picked the right company to do business with. More than just an impersonal machine recorded message, a live phone answering service will be akin to a welcome mat plus!

Telephone answering services can be as simple as informational message exchangers, or as detailed as order processer's and payment receivers. Professional handling of a variety of tasks chosen by the subscriber can be relayed by email, fax or whatever other method is chosen. Rather than taking orders and calls themselves, streamlining input by batches can save a business time and money. Instead of training receptionists, order desk employees and trouble-shooters for simple concerns, a live phone answering service can provide all of those elements around the clock, charging only for the time actually used.

Another great feature that pays for itself quickly is bilingual operators. English and Spanish are the primary languages that customer's may use. Subscriber supplied scripts with as many variables as needed are right in front of the skilled telephone operator, ready with cheerful answers. Medical clinics, lawyer groups, supply companies, restaurants and event ticket sales are just a few examples of businesses that make use of customized answering services. Pre-screening customers who apply for credit, housing or employee positions show the array of tasks a professional call taker can perform.

Outsourcing telephone call reception to the right answering service means finding one that can provide specifically trained operators. An example would be live phone operators who have successfully completed HIPAA training before taking calls for doctors or medical clinics. Only personnel trained through HIPAA, Health Insurance, Probability and Accounting Act, will be trained with medical needs of the customer in mind. Customers will appreciate being handled with care from that all important first phone call.