When you’re selecting an answering service, the location of your provider is important. You might have local call centers on your list, or looking at off-shore, but have you looked at a nationwide answering service?
What is a ‘nationwide answering service’?
When you break it down, though, it simply means an answering service that employs agents across the country, rather than in one specific location. Professional agents work from the comfort of their own homes (wherever that may be), but they all contribute to the same company.
The big perk of this geographical spread is that your business can benefit from call handlers working in different time zones. There will always be somebody ready to answer calls, night and day, and this strategy offers customers a variety of benefits.
So, let’s look into it more. Here are 6 reasons why hiring a nationwide answering service is better for your business.
1) Faster, more efficient service
Nationwide gives you better coverage. Having call handlers based in different locations results in more agents on hand to answer calls. Reduced wait times, 24/7 accessibility, and agents not tired from a commute! What’s not to love?
2) Qualified agents
A company that hires nationwide has access to a lot more talented people. It’s not tied to people who need a job in a specific location or don’t have many options. This means they actively choose to work in the role.
For AnswerForce, our agents also are required to have a quiet place to work in their homes. Your customers get a great, personalized call experience rather than hearing a call center in the background.
3) 24/7 coverage
Having agents based across the country allows for true 24/7 coverage. With multiple timezones, working patterns can easily cover every hour of the day. Services based in only one location are reliant on night-shift working and smaller teams, where nationwide teams can be better staffed so your customers have shorter wait times.
With AnswerForce, our agents are based across the U.S. with teams in Canada and the U.K. to ensure your calls are answered in just a few rings 24 hours a day.
4) Reliable service without downtime
The distributed structure of a nationwide answering service limits the risk of service disruption, such as power cuts, natural disasters, or equipment issues.
Should any of these problems arise, they would only affect a small percentage of the staff, and AnswerForce’s call routing software automatically sends calls to agents who are online and able to work.
The added bonus is that if the company needs to bring in an agent to cover an emergency shift, there’s no waiting. The operator simply needs to log on and begin work; no commute and no transport delays!
5) No extra charge for weekend, after-hours, or holiday coverage
Local services often have to charge extra fees to cover unsociable working hours or holidays – that’s if they cover them at all! Just another reason why working with a nationwide answering service like AnswerForce can put your mind at ease: we charge the same rate all day, every day.
6) Contributing to a healthier planet!
By their very nature, nationwide answering services that employ a remote workforce have a positive effect on the environment.
According to Seth Brown’s article on working from home, 28.3 pounds of CO2 is emitted per gallon of gasoline used. As AnswerForce’s receptionists can work from anywhere (usually home), we have taken approximately 4.8 tons of potential CO2 out of the atmosphere, annually!
Partnering with AnswerForce leads to a clearer conscience, a cleaner planet, and happier agents: all of which means happier customers for you.
So, there you have it. When it comes to assisting your customers, nationwide answering services are far better equipped to do the job than a local firm. From 24/7 coverage, come rain or shine, to quality of life for employees, distributed call answering is the logical choice.
Less stress. Satisfied customers. More business. Are you going to make the change? It’s your call.
Learn more about AnswerForce’s nationwide answering service.