Answering Service or Full-time Staff?

In the previous post I wrote about several of the reasons for outsourcing call answering to a nationwide answering service. I will offer more reasons in this post, but first I would like to address what many companies see as benefits of hiring in-house staff.

Certainly, plenty of companies feel that they, and only they, can train someone to represent their companies to current or potential customers. And many managers can't stand the thought of having anyone doing work that they cannot personally walk 50 feet to check up on.

These particular matters are hardly a serious concern when discussing outsourcing to a nationwide answering service, however. The agents answering calls at an operator answering service will be more versed in handling phone communication than almost anyone a company can hire, and definitely anyone a company can afford to hire. And for the manager out there who just can't stand releasing control, the custom reporting that arrives daily or twice daily from an answering service will more than allay any fears of whether or not the agents are doing their jobs.

I've discussed the benefits of 24/7 phone staffing that comes with a nationwide answering service. I've mentioned the unwanted costs that come along with hiring full-time staff, such as interviewing, training, and benefits. There is actually another benefit that comes along with outsourcing to a Michigan answering service or Ohio answering service, or answering service wherever your company is located. It is taxes. When you deal with full-time employees, deductions and taxes and all of the HR tasks come along with them. When outsourcing to an answering service, none of that is a concern.

The bottom line is that when you hire a nationwide answering service, you cannot perceive it as a cost. It is an investment in long-term savings, and one that can improve your relationships with callers due to the professional agents greeting your customers and other associates.

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