If you search good-old Google for “best answering service,” the search engine returns about 20,000,000 results. Refine that search to “how to hire the best answering service for my business” and Google narrows the field down to about 902,000 results. So how do you wade through all those options to find the best answering service that’s truly right for you? Here are 3 key tips to take into account when you begin vetting an answering service:

Call The Service

It may seem obvious, but to get a sense of how an answering service might greet your customers pick-up the phone and call the answering service. Is your call answered quickly? Are you put on hold or sent to voicemail? Is the person who answers the phone easy to understand, friendly, and professional? Can you tell by the sound of the ring that you’ve reached an answering service? If you’re less than impressed by how the answering service handles your call, then your customers probably will be too.

Ask About Their Experience With Your Industry

Different industries often have different communication needs when it comes to how and when phone calls are answered. If you own an HVAC repair business then your answering service needs might be very different from those of a physician’s office or an accounting firm. Make sure that the answering service you’re considering has experience answering phones for other businesses in your industry. And if you need a particular service like 24/7 urgent dispatching capabilities, bilingual call answering, or HIPAA-compliant services, then, by all means, verify that the service can fully meet those requirements.

What’s Their Referral Rate?

An article in the Harvard Business Review evaluated customer survey questions for measuring how customer referrals equated to the reputation of a business. The results showed that a customer’s willingness to refer a service or product to someone else is the strongest indicator of customer loyalty, which correlates with the overall positive reputation of the business.

Referral rates go beyond customer testimonials, so ask for the company’s referral rate, and then ask for permission to speak to a customer that’s in an industry similar to yours. The best answering services should have nothing to hide but will have plenty of happy customers who are willing to share how the partnership with the answering service has worked for them.

For more information on things you need to consider when hiring an answering service, read What Questions Should You Ask An Answering Service?

Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. makes sure that your calls are answered 24/7, promptly and professionally. We’ve earned an 82% referral rate for our exceptional customer service solutions. Our team has nearly 30 years of experience in full-service telecommunication solutions and provides live answering services that will exceed your expectations. We offer plans on a monthly basis, for businesses of all sizes and in all industries. Request information online or call us at (866) 758-5628 for a free consultation.