Abby Connect

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and managing attorney of a law firm. I’m a solo employee. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

As an upstart solo law firm, hiring Abby Connect was my first step towards building a team around me to take more time-intensive tasks off of my plate. That way, I could focus more on billable hours. Scheduling and talking to prospective clients on the phone was always time-consuming, so Abby Connect helped me with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we had a couple of phone calls to describe exactly what I needed. As Abby Connect’s services started, I tweaked what they were doing and followed up with comprehensive calls and emails. For context, I was initially taking on everybody. As time went on, I realized that I wanted to focus on specific cases. As a result, we had several training sessions to get everyone on the same page.

At present, Abby Connect provides inbound and outbound calling services. They answer phone calls three days a week during a set number of hours. If somebody calls during that time frame or if I owe somebody a call, I’ll use their outbound services by creating a voicemail and forwarding it to them to schedule a call. 

Their team also provides screening services. Since I practice specific areas of the law, Abby Connect helps me weed out cases and people that I don’t need to talk to because I don’t work in their type of legal issue. 

What is the team composition?

Melissa (Business Development Lead) is my main point of contact. I’ve also worked with another person during the onboarding process, but Melissa handles everything whenever we need to work on issues. In terms of the actual receptionists, I’ve worked with a couple of people. 

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I searched on Google and read as many reviews online as I could. Then, I narrowed down my list to a few providers that I thought would be a good fit. At first, I was interested in one of Abby Connect’s competitors in Oregon. However, that vendor was more expensive. Moreover, while they were known for working with lawyers, they were recently sued by those who felt they were ripped off in terms of bills and minutes they didn’t use. Regardless of the truth in that, seeing such an issue — combined with the fact that they were more expensive — made me hesitant.  

Meanwhile, I read good reviews about Abby Connect. As a result, I gave them a try, and they gave me a free trial. I didn’t have many expectations, but they did a great job. In the end, I stuck with them after the free trial. 

How much have you invested with them?

I pay a base rate of $279 per month for 100 minutes. Any amount of calls over that time is billed at the same rate. Since I usually consume another 100 minutes or so every month, I pay them around $500 per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My free trial with Abby Connect started around March 2021, and I’ve stuck with them as their regular customer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I don’t have any specific success metrics other than having a structure where I can have consultations with my clients. For context, I offer free 30 minutes of consultation over the phone. At present, I have consultation times twice a week. I’ve stuck with that, and I don’t have to do all the other kinds of phone calls, thanks to Abby Connect. 

Moreover, I’ve received great feedback from people who have talked to them, praising how nice the reception has been. As a result, I know that Abby Connect is doing a great job. 

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

To communicate, we mainly use emails and phone calls, and the Abby Connect team is always quick to respond. Melissa has been super fantastic, indispensable, and responsive to all my needs. Whenever there’s a glitch or issue, she’s always helpful. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Abby Connect’s responsiveness to my needs is the best part of working with them. If something isn’t done quite right, I bring it to their attention and they remedy it right away. The main receptionist I work with has also been responsive and fast. He’s been truly thorough with everything. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One issue that I continue to deal with involves the forwarding of my Google Voice number to the receptionists. I’ve struggled with it during the onboarding process because the instructions and initial document they’ve given me are outdated and don’t apply to Google Voice anymore. 

They’ve given me the opportunity to port my number to them, but I’m not entirely sure what that means. On top of that, I don’t want to give up control or access to my phone number. This is still somewhat unresolved because the issue continues to pop up. That being said, this isn’t entirely their fault; it might be more of an issue on Google’s side. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have questions for Abby Connect, give them details and be specific with your needs and standards in terms of receptionists. Be upfront about these things, and don’t be afraid to reach out if issues appear. 

For instance, in our engagement, I’ve spent much time on getting the team on the same page in terms of what cases or people to accommodate. I’ve also made sure they acquire certain pieces of information from clients. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an insurance agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I hired Abby Connect Receptionists to handle incoming phone calls.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They already had a basic script, but I gave them some terms that were relevant to our industry. The screen calls by sending some to voicemail, while patching more important calls through to me.

What is the team composition?

My account manager is my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I did a Google search and they came up within the first few results. Then I went to their website, checked it out, and gave them a call.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $300 a month (approximately $600 in total).

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in February 2021 and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They do a great job of answering the phones. Our customers believe that they’re an in-house team working hand-in-hand with me.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

After they receive a call, they send me an email with details about the call. I can also access that information through an app. If I have a particular concern, I usually email them, but I know I can call as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very professional. I’ve been impressed by how they conduct themselves. To a customer, it seems like they’re an in-house team member.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, when a new customer or prospect calls, they send me an email when I would prefer it if they connect me immediately.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the majority holder of an accounting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We wanted to hire a receptionist.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abby Connect provides virtual receptionist services. They answer the phone for us and forward calls to the appropriate person. If that person is unavailable, they take a message.

What is the team composition?

We have one contact person who I can reach out to if I have any issues.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I saw Abby Connect’s advertisement and decided to try a virtual receptionist, as opposed to hiring someone in office. I considered another virtual service, but when I did a Google search, Abby Connect had better ratings. They also had a trial period, and everything worked out.

How much have you invested with them?

The base service costs about $450. Then, there’s a certain dollar amount per call over my base package. Overall, it’s been less than $600 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in the fall of 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They fill our need for a receptionist, especially during COVID-19, when we have less people in the office. They provide a very professional and courteous service. I’ve also found that their message taking is very accurate, and they send the messages to us immediately. 

My clients can’t differentiate between speaking with someone in the office versus the virtual receptionist. So far, we’ve been very satisfied with their service.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

I think that answering the telephone is a very important but basic function in the workplace. Abby Connect does a very good job at what they do. The few times they’ve had to get in touch with me, someone has reached out via email or telephone. They’re very effective in the way that they handle this work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The beauty of working with Abby Connect is that it’s like we have an in-house receptionist. I haven’t worked with any other virtual receptionists. However, I have worked with in-house receptionists, and what sets Abby Connect apart is that they do their job, and they do it very well. That’s all you can ask of a service provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. I am truly and completely satisfied — their task is answering the phone, routing calls, and taking messages, and they do that very well, professionally, and accurately. 

Any advice for potential customers?

The only glitch we had was during setup, but that was due to our telephone service provider, not Abby Connect. They do a very good job, from the initial intake and onboarding of the client, all the way through providing the service. I’ve already recommended Abby Connect to clients in similar situations. On a scale of 10/10, I’d give them a 10 — they really do well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager at a bankruptcy law office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We’re running local services ads on Google. To outperform our competitors, we wanted to extend our hours. In order to do that, we needed someone to answer the phone when we’re not in the office.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we signed up with them, they trained a team to answer our calls. Since then, they’ve answered all incoming calls between 5–10 pm and on weekends. They take messages for us and email us transcripts of each call. They also record all of the calls so we can listen to them if we want to.

What is the team composition?

I’m in contact with one person who organizes the team, but I think there are 10­–15 receptionists taking our calls.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

Our SEO agency connected us with Abby Connect Receptionists. They offered a two-week free trial and it was great. We didn’t need their support right away, but we reached out to them again a few months later.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $350 a month, so we’ve spent about $1,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2020 and our partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They’re a big part of our marketing campaign because they’re often the first point of contact for new clients. While it’s hard to measure their direct impact, the Local Services Ads are doing very well and we’ve earned a significant return on our investment.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, I really enjoy working with them. They’re very easy to get in contact with.

On top of that, they’re very organized. They took very thorough notes when we were onboarding and all of their receptionists have access to them. As a result, they’ve been well-prepared to answer our incoming calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very transparent, so we’re very comfortable with them representing our firm. They always show us what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and what our clients are seeing on their end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re really great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

New clients should think about all the scenarios the receptionists would need to deal with. The better they can communicate that with them, the better equipped Abby Connect Receptionists will be to handle them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CAO (chief administrative officer) for G William Group — a construction company. I run all the in-house administration for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We had a full-time receptionist who left the company. Although we had an automated connection that was fine, we wanted to give people a more personal experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially discussed how their team would integrate with our processes. The most important question I had was how they would forward calls to individuals on our team because certain people have extensions while others prefer to use their cell phones. During the onboarding process, we discussed how we wanted our phones answered, who would receive specific calls, and how to reach them. The beginning involved trial and error. We already had a phone system with 28 different extensions and call routing features. They needed to assimilate all of that, and their team figured it out. When a person calls, Abby Connect answers it and measures the call's length for cost purposes.

What is the team composition?

I initially worked with a salesperson who provided me with prices and helped set up the account. She then paired me with an integration specialist. Now, I primarily contact a customer support person who manages the team that answers my phones.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I found them through an ad on the radio and decided to try them because Abby Connect offered a 15-day free trial. I figured that 15 days was enough time to determine whether we needed to hire someone full time or we could use their service.

How much have you invested with them?

We bought a package with a certain number of minutes. On average, we spend $500–$535 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement around October 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

It’s working because I don’t receive complaints. I haven’t heard complaints about their services. No news is good news, and that’s what I wanted to accomplish. I’m pleased with the services.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

I can jump on their website where there’s a portal and immediately, a chat pops up. I can also call, and Abby Connect's responsive. They're always positive and value me as a customer. Everyone on their team's nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by how quickly they came up to speed and started working. In the beginning, we had a couple of miscommunications, but our situation was more complicated than their average client’s. I was impressed that their team was quickly able to handle our system.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On occasion, they send us slightly vague messages. I forward those messages to their customer service representative who acknowledges the message and then addresses the issue. However, it’s not a systemic problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about how you want them to manage and route incoming calls. Do your own planning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the administrator of a custom AV integration firm that does residential commercial audio and video equipment installation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We wanted a live person to be able to answer the phone whenever our clients call.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We set up with Abby so that our phone system would flow over to them. If someone at our office can’t pick up then the call will go over to them. We give them instructions on where to send the clients afterwards so they could leave a message in the right places. They’re all remote and clients can reach them on the weekend as well.

What is the team composition?

We have one main point of contact along with a decent number of operators. They’re quite fast at picking up the phone.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We found them via a Google search. We narrowed it down to Abby and another vendor, and ended up going with Abby for a trial run. Everything seemed to go well on the trial run and we’ve continued working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I’ve been paying attention to routing, since we’ve given them several places to route calls to. They’ve done a good job. Customers feedback has also been positive.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been fairly good. I haven’t gotten responses as quickly as a I typically expect to, which is a bit disappointing. I do get responses eventually, and they try to make ameliorations when I request a change.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their onboarding process is very smooth. It’s very clean and they asked all the right questions from the get go.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could respond to adjustment requests a bit faster. I feel like we’re not being cared for as expected based on our initial interactions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to make sure that you have a good strategy for the way that you want to use them. Figure it out ahead of time. What Abby does is very specific and if you don’t have a strong idea of how to use them, it’ll create an extra burden on the backend.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager of a small business that provides two-way radio engineering services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We needed someone to field incoming calls and direct customers to the right person within our company. We felt that it was really important that our customers spoke with a live person, rather than being sent straight to an automated system. Abby Connect seemed like a good fit to provide that customer experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abby Connect has a team dedicated to our business that takes incoming calls. They direct the caller to the appropriate person or department, whether it’s sales, repairs, or service. They provide 24/7 answering services because we support first responders. 

What is the team composition?

I have a primary contact at Abby Connect who handles our account. She relays information to their team, which I believe is five people or fewer.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We did research online and compared services. Abby Connect is budget-sensitive, and they seemed like a good value. We did a trial period with them before fully committing with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay a monthly subscription.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in November 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I appreciate that they check in every once in a while to see how their resources are doing. They also send me a breakdown of how they handle calls to confirm that it’s still up-to-date.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication with them is great — they’re very quick to respond when I reach out to them. They’re also quick to make changes when we ask them to. We have fairly complicated instructions about how to deal with some of the calls. I know that they do the best that they can.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication with us is probably the best thing I can say about them. It feels like they’re part of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think there is occasionally miscommunication in the instructions that we send them. My impression is that they’ve had new people join the team who don’t have all of the information that they need. Overall, they do a great job.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d highly recommend doing the free trial period with them first. I think they’ll find that they’re a great company to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of US operations at a company that is basically a managing general agent. We offer various insurance products in construction, residential, and commercial. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

As we grew, we realized that all of our team members had individual phone numbers, but we didn’t have a common line. We wanted to assign specific phone numbers to different products so that our customers would be directed to the right people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abby Connect provides phone answering services. We selected our own phone number, as opposed to an assigned number.

What is the team composition?

We have a main point of contact, but I rarely speak with them because we get very few calls. Most people still have our direct phone number, so we’re not getting a lot of generalized inquiries. 

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I researched different phone answering services online and selected Abby Connect online. A member of their team walked me through their servicing, what they could do for us, and how it was billed. We set up the engagement from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $280 each month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing work together began last spring, between April and June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

While Abby Connect has been very nice and receptive, we have not utilized them much. I don’t think we’ve been able to properly measure ongoing success, how their services have changed our business, or how they’ve assisted us. The volume isn’t there to measure that.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

At times, I’ve had various technical issues with respect to some of the voicemails they transmit via email. I’ve had to inquire about these issues. However, this isn’t always a technical problem, as some people don’t leave messages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been really receptive to our questions and any issues that have come up.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more proactive when there are technical problems.

Any advice for potential customers?

Abby Connect is a really good company. They’re really helpful now that everybody is working remotely to ensure that you don’t miss calls.

I would just encourage potential customers to evaluate the volume of calls that they get. You pay by how many minutes people utilize, and there is a minimum level of minutes. We never meet that level, but if you are going to meet it, it would be very useful to utilize Abby Connect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an office manager for a tree service company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

Our greatest challenge was managing our incoming calls. I only work part-time in the business, and we didn’t have a person to answer our phones. As a result, all of our calls directed to our arborist in the field. When he worked, he couldn’t answer calls, which meant calls went to voicemail. That created a lot of work for us to address outside of work hours.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially provided Abby Connect with information about our business and how we wanted our phones to be answered. We discussed our expectations for service hours and managing different types of client inquiries. After the onboarding phase, their team began answering our phones.

We created a FAQs (frequently asked questions) sheet that their team uses to answer clients' questions. When a client calls and asks a question on the sheet, they answer the question. If a person wants to schedule an estimate, they schedule them on our calendar. If a client calls for any other reason, their team takes a message. If we need them to make a return phone call, we email them, and they call the client back.

What is the team composition?

We have a main contact who we can reach if we have any issues. We have an identified group of people who service our phone calls.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We considered hiring virtual receptionist or virtual assistant services for a while. We had several calls with other organizations but then heard an advertisement for Abby Connect. We decided to reach out to them and looked at their online reviews. We scheduled a call with them to ask questions about their offerings.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend under $300 on their services each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our ongoing relationship with them around October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The number of messages that we need to address significantly decreased. If any, we only have a few calls a day that we have to return. We no longer need to return phone calls to answer general questions. Instead, we only have to answer very specific questions. It’s a better use of our time and more efficient on our end.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a preferred scheduling platform that Abby Connect agreed to use. If we have a request, we can email them. They’re responsive, and their overall communication is great. We utilize their application to review how many minutes of services we used and how many remain. We can also look at their call logs and notes as well as review their calls through a separate subscription service.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our engagement with Abby Connect has been seamless. They quickly onboarded, and we immediately switched our phone system. We haven’t had any customer complaints or concerns about the service, meaning they’re professional and meet our clients’ expectations.

It’s also enormously helpful that they have extended hours. Their phone systems are available more hours than ours previously were. It gives our clients an easier way to reach us at whichever time is convenient for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In order for them to do better, we would have to have more options in terms of software capabilities. I would love for them to be able to schedule our actual projects. For that to happen, they would need access to other systems within our organization.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend that other clients keep a FAQs sheet and update it regularly. That ensures the Abby Connect team will be able to answer clients’ questions without having to require callbacks. It’s also helpful to know that you can ask them to call clients back via email. It’s a huge timesaver.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an attorney at a personal injury law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abby Connect Receptionists?

We needed them to answer calls.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abby Connect answers calls using an outline I created for them. For new clients, they take a description of them and their issues. Their team then transfers the calls. They also take calls that rollover from our receptionist. All of their work is done remotely.

What is the team composition?

I communicate with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Abby Connect Receptionists?

I wanted to work with a local agency, so I searched for an answering service in our area. I originally selected them because of their location.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2020, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

If I need the data, I ask them for it. Mostly, I trust them.

How did Abby Connect Receptionists perform from a project management standpoint?

From project management and communication standpoints, they perform very well. We mostly communicate via phone and email. Their team uses a platform, but I don’t use it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their friendliness. I previously worked with answering services that didn’t achieve the level of friendliness and thoroughness that Abby Connect does. That’s what I value about them the most. When it comes to making a positive impression, Abby Connect certainly excels.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. They could potentially communicate more with their team. When changes happen, not everyone’s aware of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend that you have a script in your mind for what you want the Abby Connect team to say. You don’t want your answering service to read a script. However, you want them to have a general outline for what you expect every call to follow. If you have a business that has clients calling for different reasons, you have to be willing to invest your time ensuring the answering service knows how to handle different clients.