Running a company that deals with emergency services is definitely a challenging thing. While all that is a common part of your job, it can sometimes put you in a tough spot. You might be having problems with call handling which subsequently hampers the normal workflow. This is why you need the assistance of a professional cell phone answering service.
The companies that provide emergency call center services are equipped with the skills and expertise required to handle the huge number of calls received in an emergency service company. Having assistance can work like a huge perk when it comes to offering quality service.
That being said, the success of these services depends a lot on the company you choose. One wrong move in the selection process can end you up in a contract with a company that is not even suitable for your organization. This is why we will let you know about a few things that you should consider while making the choice.
What Is an Emergency Call Center Service?
Well, let us first make you aware of the basics before we move on any further. An emergency call center service solely revolves around screening calls and dispatching help for urgent situations. These service-providing companies are generally hooked on different emergency services.
Basically, what happens is they promptly receive all the calls that come their way. Then, they either notify the help to arrive at the location or simply transfer the calls directly to the company. This helps to streamline the overall process of handling emergencies, ensuring that everyone gets the help that they are asking for.
These companies have huge teams of professional call handlers who are trained to perform this task. Moreover, they also stay available during all hours to make sure no call goes unanswered. Overall, these are some of the things that this service comprises.
What Are the Top Signs of a Good Call Center Service Company?
Some signs differentiate a company from the others in the market. These basically work like merit cards and help showcase the sincerity of the answering service to offer you quality service. Some of these signs that you should look for are:
1. Effective communication skills:
One of the biggest qualities of a skilled cell phone answering service is its ability to communicate effectively. This kind of communication is helpful in many areas of the business.
A good company will also maintain a clear line of communication with you so that you can keep a close eye on the progress. They properly communicate with you to make sure that none of your requirements and expectations get unchecked.
2. Round-the-clock availability:
Companies that are dedicated to helping their customers, will always offer added perks to make your life better. One of those perks is staying available during all hours of the day.
These companies divide their employees into teams and time schedules just to make sure that all calls are answered. This means taking their help will help not just help you to stay available during 2 in the afternoon. It will also help you stay available at 2 in the night.
3. Multilinguality:
Effortlessly speaking in different languages is more than just an added skill. It is a tool that helps you to take your service to all customers, breaking the language barrier. This is exactly why skilled emergency call center services always hire call handlers who have a strong hold on different languages.
They make sure that the call handlers can easily speak in any language so that you get to create a diverse customer base. Plus, it also helps you to build your name as an inclusive company.
4. Rating & Review:
We all are aware of the concept of report cards. These are basically evaluation sheets that work like proof of our ability and excellence. Well, reviews are basically report cards for companies.
This helps to show that a company is capable of earning the trust and likes of its customers. A good company will always have tons of good ratings and reviews to showcase with their name. Their skills and expertise will help them to earn a good name in the industry.
Things You Should Consider While Making the Choice
Let us move on to the most important part now that you are aware of all the things related to skilled emergency call center services. The selection process holds a whole lot of importance in the whole process. This helps to make sure that you are linking your company’s name with a company that perfectly matches your needs and requirements.
We are certainly not saying that all companies are not skilled in offering good service. But one thing is certain that all companies do not match the list of things that you ask for. This is why you should be considering a few things before making the ultimate choice.
1. Quality
Make sure you run a few tests to ascertain the real quality of the service provided by a company. One of the best ways to do that is to call the call answering service by posing as a real customer. Call their helpline number during odd hours and busy hours to ascertain the quality of their service.
The two main things that you have to pay special attention to are the accuracy and the attitude of the service providers. Keep a note of how the call handlers talk with you and how long they take to help you properly. Moreover, you will also understand how good the service providers are at transferring knowledge and important information.
2. Service options
Choosing a service provider that only deals with call handling will not be a smart choice in the long run. As your company grows, you will automatically start needing help in other areas of the business. This is why you should always choose a cell phone answering service that has the skills to manage different things in your company.
From appointment management to call recording, there are many things that a skilled service provider will be able to do. These added services will make your path of scalability easy. Moreover, it will also eliminate your need to look for another service provider as your company grows in size.
3. Technicality
Remember that this selection process is very different from any other process of its kind. This is a process that involves a whole lot of investment in terms of time and money. So, naturally, it is very important to ask every possible question before you make the choice. Make sure you dive into the technicality of things.
You should start the process by asking them questions like what is the average hold time of the company, how long they take to answer a question, how the data is stored, and others. Even though it does not concern you much, you can also ask about the employee retention rate of the company. This will help you to ascertain if the company will always be well-staffed to handle the huge call volume.
4. Customization
Well, taking help from a third-party company can often bring a sense of detachment between your company and the answering service. This is why you need to make a few adjustments in the tone and attitude of the service-providing company to make it look like a part of your company. So, make sure you choose a company that lets you make these adjustments.
Moreover, you will not even have to think about these things when you choose the right one. They will automatically customize their services and create custom scripts to create a seamless experience. They will perfectly talk with your customers so that they never feel like they are not part of the company, ultimately gaining reliability in your and your customer’s mind.
5. Working hours
There is no point in choosing a company that only works during the traditional working hours. We are saying this because a company that is not available during odd hours will automatically create a wall between you and your customers. Once they see that you are unable to answer their calls, they will automatically start choosing someone else over you.
Moreover, this is way more important when it comes to an emergency service company. Then staying available during odd hours is more than an added perk, it is more of a necessity. So, make sure you choose a service-providing company that offers you round-the-clock availability.
6. Human or Non-Human
Irrespective of the growth in technology, some things can only be done by a real person. One of those things is effectively handling emergency calls. An artificial answering device lacks the empathy that is required to deal with the vulnerability of emergency calls. It fails to understand the severity of the situation which ultimately comes in the way of offering good service.
This is a big reason why you need to select a service that does not use any artificial answering device. Rather, look for places that employ manpower to tackle the high volume. This way, you will be able to ensure that all calls are dealt with by a real person who can empathize and help callers accordingly.
7. Call recording features
Sometimes keeping a close eye on a third-party company can be a little tough. This is why you need to look for a company that offers the service of call recording. This is an excellent tool to evaluate the way the call handlers talk with your customers.
Simply by listening to the call recordings, you can understand if any call handler is rude or lazy in offering help. Moreover, it also helps to get hold of the resources to understand the nature of your customers, ultimately making it easy for you to improve your company.
8. HIPPA compliant
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act aka HIPPA holds importance in the medical world. It states that under no circumstance one is allowed to share any details related to their patients. It heavily deals with maintaining the confidentiality of medical records.
So, if you are a company that belongs to the medical sector, then you should look into this. Basically, you will have to find an emergency call center services provider that complies with the rules and regulations of HIPPA. This will help you to make sure that the service provider is capable of securely transferring your customer’s message to you. Moreover, this will also help you to stay away from getting in any trouble regarding breaking the rules of HIPPA.
9. Pricing
Last but definitely not least, make sure you check the pricing structure of the company before you make a choice. As a business owner, you will have to look for places that offer good-quality service without forcing you to break the bank.
Try to find a place that cares about providing good service and not just running after your money. Moreover, you should also stay away from companies that have many hidden costs as that can quickly rack up the price. Choose a place that is honest and upfront about the cost of their services.
Final Findings
Being a business owner, you will be the best person to ascertain which emergency call center services provider will be the best for your business. But reading this blog will give you a boost in the selection process and make it easy for you to find the right one. Here, we have tried to mention all the things that you should consider before making the choice. We are sure that this will definitely help you.