Specialty Answering Service

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specialty Answering Service?

After-hours answering services

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Internet searching and online demo

Describe the project in detail.

We have been using SAS for about 2 months now. They provide simple after-hours answering for our business.

What was the team composition?

Customer service after work hours

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I have to say that they have delivered way beyond our expectations. They always capture all the relevant information we need, and provide super-timely notifications via CALL, TEXT and EMAIL.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Nothing gets missed with these guys. We are VERY pleased with the service and the cost and expect to expand our use of their services quite a bit in the next year.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Customer Service and Timeliness

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

FIn/Admin Mgr-Public Water Utility

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specialty Answering Service?

Answering Services.

What were your goals for this project?

Give customers a method to contact us in case of emergencies during off hours.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

References.

Describe the project in detail.

Answering Service

What was the team composition?

Admin Staff.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We had been on the service for a few months when our call volumes exceeded expectations. Annie B worked with us to reduce volums while still providing good service our customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their reaction to our concerns was impressive. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No..great service company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Social Media Marketing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specialty Answering Service?

We need an answering service.

What were your goals for this project?

To answer all our upcoming calls.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Because they are the cheapest and reliable.

Describe the project in detail.

Answering Service.

What was the team composition?

They have staffs that work 24/7 for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

It saves me a ton of time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I called them every time I need an update.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There is no delay at them at all.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Managing member of IT services firm. B2B and Consumer IT Services and MSP service provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specialty Answering Service?

Automating inbound call flows

What were your goals for this project?

Logical scripted call flows for all our inbound calls.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Received several proposals from different vendors and phone consultations. SAS was the most attentive and professional.

Describe the project in detail.

Inbound call flows for all our inbound calls.

What was the team composition?

4 dedicated agents and a supervisor as well as programmers and script creation from experienced telesales reps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We listen to our calls and monitor the CSR reps.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent service from their team

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Even as time goes on, the service levels remain high.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a truck dealership. We also have a truck leasing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specialty Answering Service?

We needed an answering service to handle our afterhours road service phone calls for our customers as well as any National Lease affiliate. Specialty Answering Service filled that need.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a seamless transition for afterhours calls to be processed and handed off to our afterhours personnel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I actually found them on line and interviewed them over the phone.

Describe the project in detail.

There really is no other detail than what is described above.

What was the team composition?

None

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Afterhours calls continue to be answered and I have no complaints from my customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication is great. Any time I need to edit contacts or scripts, it is done easily and immediate.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Response

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your company use Business Process Outsourcing services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

I use this service because I need to answer phones for all our customers.

What is the volume of inbound calls your company was handling per day?

75.

What were your company’s goals for the partnership with this service provider?

Our goal was more sales than last year.

SOLUTION

What does this service provider provide for you on a normal basis?

They can answer faster than a human voice.

Could you describe this service provider's pricing structure and how they bill you?

They charge us for a monthly service and invoice us for voice calls.

How did you find and select this service provider?

I found this service online.​​​​​​​

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Please assess this service provider's quality of work.

They provide high quality work.

How much time and money do you estimate that this service provider saves you each month?

They save me about 25% in all my sales.

Based on your experience, what takeaways can you share about working with this service provider?

It provides a wide-reaching and efficient telephone answering system. ​​​​​

What do you think are the strengths of this service provider?

Their strengths are their technology and service.

Where do you think this service provider can improve?

They can expand their operations to include activities other than answering telephone calls.​​​​​​​

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need inbound services? Did you previously handle these needs in-house?

We have raw material delivered on a daily basis for our food manufacturing and need to ensure that all refrigerated items get priority delivery service. Also we have outsourced many of our jobs to cut down on cost such as not paying for benefits which will increase our profits.

How many inbound calls did your company handle every day? How much time did your employees spend on the phone every day?

We were locally handling 100% of the inbound calls with 16 people . We have now cut our staff to 3 people who basically handle problems and troubleshoot deliveries.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

Our goal is to cut costs, especially in payroll and benefits and be able to increase our profits.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

They are handling our dispatching and confirming delivery and order tracking.

Could you describe the pricing structure and how they billed you?

I am not sure of the price structure and how they bill as this is handled through our corporate office in New Jersey.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

This is the company our corporate procurement division informed the branches that they would be using so not sure how they found out about them.

How would you assess the service provider for answering calls, customer service, and communication?

We have had some problems especially when one our vendors get a representative that has a accent and they cannot understand them. However, when we contract the support team they have been very helpful and understanding.

How much time, in hours, does this service provider save you each month?

Since we have cut our staff that work 40 hours, I assume we are saving about 520 manhours. I'm not sure what the total cost is because I don't know their salaries.

How much money does this service provider save you each month?

N/A.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

That their after hour calls are handled with the same expertise as normal hours of operation for our company. They offer prompt communication and they work hard to refine call quality.

What are the service provider's strengths?

Their strength is professional handling of calls and increased knowledge of our business, customer service is easy to work with and courteous. Things have run smoothly so far.

How can the service provider improve?

I cannot think of anything as we have not encountered any major problems

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We started January 1, 2017 and it's still ongoing.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

We're investing over $10,000,000.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need inbound services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

Our objective was more specialized calls.

How many inbound calls did your company handle every day?

The volume was 20%.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

To have our calls answered.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

They direct our phone calls.

Could you describe the pricing structure and how they billed you?

They bill us quarterly.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

I found them through a referral.

How would you assess the service provider for answering calls, customer service, and communication?

It is good.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

It saves maybe 10 hours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

We are just more efficient.

What are the service provider's strengths?

Their attention to detail is strong.

What areas can the service provider improve?

There is nothing to improve.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We started in February 2017.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

It is less than $1,000.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need inbound services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

We used to handle this in-house, but it got to be overwhelming at times and needed year-round support, so that's why we contacted Specialty Answering Services.

How many inbound calls did your company handle every day?

10-15% of activity is handling inbound calls, as this is a crucial function in communicating with our customers, contractors, and suppliers.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

My company's goals were to outsource and delegate this task and free up some of our own resources in the process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

I use this service in order to answer customer's calls without the added expense of hiring someone to fulfill that function.

Could you describe the pricing structure and how they billed you?

I selected one of the package deals they offer, and I expect to need the services in the long term.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

I found this service by doing a basic Google search and comparing companies that offer this service.

How would you assess the service provider for answering calls, customer service, and communication?

I have so far been happy with the results and everything is handled in a timely manner.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

You can't put a price tag on the time that I have saved by using this service. Monetarily, they have saved me the burden of hiring an extra person to do what SAS does.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

We now have everything compacted in an easy to digest form thanks to SAS, they make the whole incoming call process so much easier and takes a huge load off my shoulders. You can't beat great service and fair rates.

What are the service provider's strengths?

Their strengths are accuracy, timely results, and great customer service if there's ever any questions.

What areas can the service provider improve?

A wider variety of package plans could be nice for some people, although I am happy with what I have.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We first started using their services in July 2016 and continue to do so.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

We're spending $1,000 to $4,999 per year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need inbound services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

We have raw material delivered on a daily basis for our food manufacturing company and need to ensure that all refrigerated items get priority delivery service. Also, we have outsourced many of our jobs to cut down on costs, such as not paying for benefits, which would have increased our profits.

How many inbound calls did your company handle every day?

We were locally handling 100% of the inbound calls with 16 people. We have now cut our staff to 3 people who basically handle problems and troubleshoot deliveries.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

Our goal is to cut costs, especially in payroll and benefits, and be able to increase our profits.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

They are handling our dispatching and confirming delivery, and order tracking.

Could you describe the pricing structure and how they billed you?

I am not sure of the price structure and how they bill as this is handled through our corporate office in New Jersey.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

This is the company our corporate procurement division informed the branches that they would be using, so I'm not sure how they found out about them.

How would you assess the service provider for answering calls, customer service, and communication?

We have had some problems especially when a vendor receives a representative that has an accent, and cannot understand them. However, when we contract the support team they have been very helpful and understanding.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

Since we have cut our staff that worked 40 hours, I assume we are saving about 520 manhours. I'm not sure what the total cost is because I don't know their salaries.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

Their after-hour calls are handled with the same expertise as normal hours of operation for our company. They offer prompt communication and they work hard to refine call quality.

What are the service provider's strengths?

Their strength is the professional handling of calls and increased knowledge of our business. Their customer service is easy to work with and courteous. Things have run smoothly so far.

What areas can the service provider improve?

I cannot think of anything as we have not encountered any major problems

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We started January 2017, and it's still ongoing.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

We're investing over $10,000,000.