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It goes without saying that properly handling after-hours service calls is essential to maintaining customer satisfaction, ensuring business continuity and protecting your company's reputation.

Without having an employee available to answer calls outside of normal operating hours, businesses were limited in their options. Some relied on their phone system's voicemail, while others resorted to an expensive after-hours call answering service.

Call Answering Service

The appeal of using a call answering service to answer your after-hours service calls is obvious. However, there are also some drawbacks that can impact your operations, customer satisfaction, and the profitability of offering a 24/7 service.

• Quality : External operators are not as familiar with your company, and the high turnover rate of staff in this type of company can impact the quality of interactions depending on their experience and seniority.
  
  
• Poor communication: Since the operator is not part of your team, this can cause delays and poor communication between him and your internal manager.
  
  
• Late responses: Operators are not dedicated only to your business, which can introduce delays in handling your emergency service calls.
  
  
• Security and Privacy: Using an external service can raise concerns about the security and privacy of your company's data, and that of its customers.
  
  
• High Costs: Less expensive than hiring staff in-house. full-time, costs can add up quickly with usage and become a significant expense in providing services outside of normal business hours.

While telephone answering services can be convenient, these potential drawbacks cannot be ignored. Additionally, some customers have a negative opinion when they realize they are speaking to a third-party service instead of speaking directly to your business. This can reduce trust and satisfaction.

Voicemail

Some businesses that cannot justify the costs of a call answering service have found themselves use their phone system's voicemail to take service requests. Even with email or text notification, it is difficult to triage and respond to emergency service requests quickly. Although cost-effective, this solution is far from viable for your business and your customers.


Is there an alternative to this need?

Automated service call management

• Simplicity: Customers don't have to spend time explaining their issue in a voicemail or worry about being misunderstood. Instead, they simply request a callback and can go about their day, knowing that a qualified representative will return their call as soon as possible. The system will automatically notify the customer and technician that the service request has been received.

• Faster Resolution: Voicemails are sometimes missed or ignored, with an automated system of callback management, response time is reduced and this increases your customer satisfaction.
  
  
• Clearer Communication: One-way voice messages often lack useful information, with a quick callback, customers and representatives can have a real-time conversation to clarify issues and prioritize your service calls.

• Better Time Management: Service technicians can better schedule callbacks when they are already on a service call without fear of forgetting other requests. With an automated callback management system, your employees will spend less time on check voicemails.

• Better management and tracking: With notification of service calls (customer and technician), and automated confirmation that the customer has been recalled, the system allows service department managers to better manage service requests.