AnswerForce

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Rob, President of TeamLogicIT in NW Phoenix and Northern Arizona. I am responsible for delivering world-class managed IT services to business clients.

For what projects/services did your company hire AnswerForce?

We hired AnswerForce to assure our clients received a personal response to calls rather than use voicemail in high demand times and after our office hours.

What were your goals for this project?

Personal and professional phone management assuring our clients that their needs, problems and concerns had been heard by a competent and carting person and that those challenges that they may be experiencing would be effectively communicated to my staff for follow-up.

How did you select AnswerForce?

We had been using a few different outsourced services to support lower priority and easier issues. Those services were more expensive than I had been prepared to pay and most everything was escalated back into my team. I discovered AnswerForce through a peer recommendation.

Describe the project in detail.

I contacted AnswerForce. I was called within an hour an offered a detailed overview of their intuitive program and interface. I made the purchase decision while on that call. A short time later, I was contacted to set-up the account. We built scripts based on the consultants vast experience. The solution was put into action and worked perfectly on the first interaction. Consultants have contacted me proactively and periodically to suggest improvements in scripts and flows. My clients often ask about the service and some have inquired directly.

What was the team composition?

My VP of Technical Services and I were the only team members from my company to put the simple solution in place within our organization. AnswerForce had two initial consultants support us and a couple more came in for tuning at other/later times.

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

We never miss a call or have one go to voicemail. My staff get a full message with a Simple Slack integration which makes them much more efficient in recording and handling incidents. I estimate that staff efficiency improvement at around 10%. You can't put a value on good customer service.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Set-up was incredibly simple and thorough. AnswerForce consultants were incredibly helpful in scripting and integration set-up. AnswerForce and our staff work seamlessly together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Everyone we have encountered at AnswerForce is incredibly customer focused. They are clear, concise and delivered tremendous value for the time we have spent with them. They solved my challenge of handling high or peak call volume times as well as enabled a much broader after hours on-call solution for my team via answering and Slack integration. We no longer miss SLA's.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we are very satisfied with AnswerForce service, reporting and billing. Integrations have never failed us. They don't miss a beat.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Ace Handyman Services and I’m the operations assistant.

What challenge were you trying to address with AnswerForce?

We wanted an answering service to answer any calls we might miss, pick up calls on our weekends, and we wanted to extend the offer to our franchise owners.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They answer our overflow calls, and, recently, they’ve started to help our sales department by calling leads for new franchises. They do those initial calls and verify people before our staff gets involved. They also have to look up zip codes, so when a call comes in for franchising, they need to let the caller know whether a franchise is available in that specific location.

The script and language has changed a bit. Until this year, we had a new name, but we were acquired, so they came up with a new script. They explain to callers that we’re the same company, we just have a new name.

What is the team composition?

I work with the owner of AnswerForce, and we have a designated account person.

How did you come to work with AnswerForce?

I was looking for an answering service that could be flexible with the script.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $700–$1,000 per month now, but we spent about $300 per month when we first started working together. In total, we’ve spent about $200,000. We have a grandfathered plan. They’ve helped us overcome some challenges regarding pricing as well. It’s difficult to find an affordable answering services and their prices don’t jump around.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since June 2015.

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

Our call volume has doubled. I’ve listened to calls, and they follow the script, they’re respectful, and they’re nice on the phone. They’re able to update the script on a whim, which is very valuable for our business. Working with them prevents us from missing calls and losing customers.

How did AnswerForce perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed really well, especially since their whole team works remotely. We use a dashboard to see all of the conversations and the scripts they have prepared. It’s very user-friendly and easy to use.

I just send an email to them when we need to get in touch, but if it’s urgent, I can just give them a call. They’re super responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It really comes down to the script. The ability to change and update the script is a big deal for our company. They need to go to our website and search for a location with the zip code, and it’s a lot of work, but they do a good job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing on my end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest about what you want, and they’ll work with you to reach that goal.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is Tutordoctor, and I’m the president.

What challenge were you trying to address with AnswerForce?

We needed help with inbound client management.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AnswerForce is the first interaction that clients have with our company. They help answer inquiries of clients looking for tutoring support. This includes new and recurring clients that are interested in knowing about our services and pricing. AnswerForce schedules consultation appointments, forwards current customers to me to answers their calls, and those types of things. They have a pretty robust system that is linked in with our calendars so that once they schedule someone, it just shows up on my calendar. They can adapt to our CRM. 

What is the team composition?

I have a main point of contact, and they have a team that works just for our business and answers our calls.

How did you come to work with AnswerForce?

I searched online for call centers. I have a background in call centers – that was my corporate career for 25 years – so I knew what I wanted to see as far as capabilities. When clients call, I want them to think they’re calling me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $100 a month, so about $1,200 a year. That gets us about 100 minutes, which is about as much as we need to handle our volume. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017, and it’s ongoing.

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

They usually succeed in having a client book for a consultation. Last time I checked, they were at 93% of booking the consultation once the person called. I’ve gotten feedback from clients that they didn’t even realize they were calling a call service, which is what I was looking for.

I’m the type of business that when someone calls, they want the call answered, or they’re going to move on to the next company. AnswerForce answers every time, and they answer quickly. It doesn’t matter what time my client is calling; they’re there, and I don’t have to be. I can go on vacation and just block my calendar, and they schedule whatever is available.

How did AnswerForce perform from a project management standpoint?

Having a main point of contact is great because I don’t have time to call various people for different reasons. Their turnaround time is same day or as quickly as possible. If I have feedback for an associate, they follow up and let me know that it’s been addressed. I’ve yet to have the same issue occur more than once. Perfection is about how you respond, and that’s what’s important to me.

I communicate with my regional contact through text, call, or email. My preference is texting or calling; it just depends. You can also chat with them through their app. I like that I have a choice. Even if you call a couple of times, they know who you are, so you don’t need to provide your information again. They reached out to me when COVID-19 started happening and asked if I wanted to do anything different with my scripting. They looked to see what worked best for the business and for me. They’re proactive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their calls sets them apart, including how fast they’re able to get their team up and running to handle the calls. We can change our script in real-time, so if I just need to change 1–2 things, I can go in and make the changes myself, and they’ll be reflected in the next call. I can export and listen to recordings of the calls at any time. The app that they have also sets them apart. Their fluidity and adaptability are great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they understand the importance of that first contact with clients. I’m much more gracious with any learning curve because I understand what it takes. I’ve been impressed by how far their reach is to be able to support the team. I just hope they’re able to keep that versatility going.

Any advice for potential customers?

Trust their process; they can tailor to your needs. It’s hard for an owner to hand off that first point of contact, so make sure that they really understand and trust that they’ll be able to do it. I didn’t believe they’d be able to start taking calls the next day, but sure enough, they sounded like they’d been doing it the whole time. They want the experience to be good.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am HVAC contractor and I am the owner

For what projects/services did your company hire AnswerForce?

Answer service was hired for:

1. Answer phones that I can't answer
2. Take most inbound calls
3. Warm calling, using a progressive dialer, outbound those calls to existing customers try get a hold of customers, book appointments or send me an email with customer requests and question.

What were your goals for this project?

the Goal was to get my customers call answered and book a appointments

How did you select this vendor?

I found them on Google search and they promise the best prices

Describe the project in detail.

Answerforce answered the phone calls, they should take all inbound calls, after the call they suppose to collect data and email me the information needed and book me a meeting on outlook calendar.

What was the team composition?

The suppose to get $1.0 a minute for the time they spend with customer over the phone.

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

The project was a big disaster.

1. They emails where uncleared with broken english.
2. They send me an email after each dialer call that wasn't answer, I got 300 emails a day, and I need to go thru all of them to see if 1 customer did reply.
3. They had errors when the Dialer was calling but they didn't answer, still I got the emails.
4. The got billing issues that I called many time to correct but they keep forward me to persons that cant help.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was a nightmare, I spend hours talking with them on the phone, always someone need to get back to me and it was a complete waste of my time.

They can't send a clear emails after they speak to customers, they could not do a proper booking even to put a meeting description, they don't do call recording so I don't really know what happened in the meeting, they don't do break down for bills, very bad place to work with, completely unprofessional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Absolutely nothing, they smooth talk you over the phone but they are completely incompetent when its comes to answering service.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I was a 100% unhappy customer and based on what I wrote so far, they should do a major makeover to the way they do business.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a handyman services business in the Northwest San Antonio and Boerne areas. I am the owner of the company.

What was the business challenge your company was facing that incited the need for this answering service solution?

We needed to answer every single phone call we received.

How did you integrate the answering services into your company’s operations?

Answer Force emails and texts us client messages.

Why would you recommend this answering service over comparable companies?

Answer Force is more scalable than its competitors. They answer the phone consistently.

On an annual or monthly basis, how much does your company spend to use this answering service?

We spend $225 per month.

Can you share any success, metrics, or overall results of your integration of this service?

Our overall result is that it has become more convenient to get messages from customers not only after-hours and on weekends, but also when we miss calls during the day.

Were there any features/tools that you were really impressed by offered by AnswerForce?

AnswerForce's staff is courteous. I haven't heard many complaints about my answering service.

Looking back, are there any areas of the service that you feel could be added or improved upon?

No.

Have you had to interact with the answering service’s support team or reference their support resources?

Yes. AnswerForce is good at working with us.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Fish Window Cleaning is a franchise business based in Loganville, Georgia. I am the owner of the company.

What was the business challenge your company was facing that incited the need for this answering service solution?

We needed call overflow support. We are a small business providing window cleaning services to our local area. A part of my activity is providing estimates, and I have found that people looking for pricing will hang up and move on to the next business if they can't speak to a real person immediately. I wanted to find a way of having our phone answered all the time.

How did you integrate the answering services into your company’s operations?

We have a 10-second period to answer the phone at our office, after which the call is directed to AnswerForce. They are our overflow service, including for evenings and weekends.

We needed ways in which to get the customer information back, so we've used Evernote for routing the call-answering information to our new requests folder. This gives us a centralized way for dealing with requests.

Google Calendar is typically used for scheduling our van fleet. AnswerForce also provided a calendaring system called SetMore, which provides a standard way for their team to make reservations for us. This way, if someone already has an estimate and is looking to schedule, they can do so.

The third issue was credit card payments. We need to process payments even when no one is in the office. We use USAePay as a provider and have given AnswerForce the login information for our account. As such, AnswerForce is not only answering phones and providing estimates, but they're also helping schedule customers and are taking payment information.

Why would you recommend this answering service over comparable companies?

When I first started looking for answering solutions in April 2016, I requested information from 10–15 companies. In the end, I was looking to accomplish a simple task and not pay a lot for it. Given my inexperience with call centers, I didn't want to become locked into a contract, and also didn't want to pay large setup fees.

AnswerForce provided free set up, no charge for the first 30 seconds in cases of people hanging up, as well as the ability to not work under a contract and to change the plan from month to month. Our busiest season will be from April to June, so I've appreciated AnswerForce's flexibility in terms of payment and setup.

We signed up with AnswerForce at the beginning of May 2016, just before Memorial Day. AnswerForce took four phone calls on that occasion and even scheduled an estimate.

It was also a requirement for the team to sound fluent in English. I'm located in the South, and many people here prefer to speak to fellow southerners.

On an annual or monthly basis, how much does your company spend to use this answering service?

We've spent between $300 and $400 per month on AnswerForce's services. I compared this to having a full-time administrator in the office, and $100 per week for full coverage, including nights and weekends, is great.

Were there any features/tools that you were really impressed by offered by AnswerForce?

Beyond being a calendaring service, SetMore also allows us to put a widget on our website and Facebook page, giving us added functionality for people wanting self-service.

AnswerForce also implemented a chat function, allowing people to go to our website and have the same conversation over chat, as they would have had over the phone.

Looking back, are there any areas of the service that you feel could be added or improved upon?

AnswerForce has had a learning curve during the setup. I've had to go back to them and specify that names and emails should actually be validated, not only guessed. I've found out that some companies don't want to pay for validation because it takes up more time. Being able to know that the name was spelled correctly spares me from an awkward situation with the customer later on. It happened the first few times, but AnswerForce corrected it.

Have you had to interact with the answering service’s support team or reference their support resources?

The only thing I've had to do on the support side was to update and modify scripts. As we've progressed, we've added a few things. Every time this happened, I could send AnswerForce an email or contact them through chat, and receive confirmation of it being implemented. They've been very responsive, and I haven't had any technical problems.

At one point, our credit card password expired. AnswerForce reached out and contacted me proactively about it. We reset the password and were on our way. There haven't been any issues on the support side.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a franchise organization with various owners throughout the US. I am the Director of Marketing for the company.

What was the business challenge your company was facing that incited the need for this answering service solution?

We needed to find a partner who could answer our phones during off-hours, especially during evenings and weekends.

How did you integrate the answering services into your company’s operations?

We forward after-hours calls to the answering service. In addition to this, we have them roll over to the call center, ensuring that there will always be a live person at the other end of the line.

AnswerForce has helped us take on more outbound calls, which is an important part of our operations. I’m excited to see how it turns out.

Why would you recommend this answering service over comparable companies?

I've always appreciated the friendly environment within AnswerForce. Everyone I've talked to has been able to help us with any questions or challenges when trying to roll a new program out. AnswerForce is also good in terms of beta testing.

On an annual or monthly basis, how much does your company spend to use this answering service?

Each of our franchisees spends around $270 per month on AnswerForce's services.

Can you share any success, metrics, or overall results of your integration of this service?

We had a ROI (return on investment) of 508%.

Were there any features/tools that you were really impressed by offered by AnswerForce?

From a corporate point of view, I like being able to use the dashboard to review and analysis the calls coming in. It's nice to have the ability to help each of our franchisees out, giving them a better understanding of how calls are being answered and how they can reply to those calls.

Looking back, are there any areas of the service that you feel could be added or improved upon?

The outbound call capacity is something on which we're working together with AnswerForce. We hope to get that service up and running soon, and will have access to franchise owner's calendars, with AnswerForce setting up appointments on our behalf.

Have you had to interact with the answering service’s support team or reference their support resources?

Not too long ago, I had contact with AnswerForce's support staff for reviewing some dashboard data. They responded to my email, we had a phone conversation, and resolved the issue.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and managing partner.

For what projects/services did your company hire AnswerForce?

They expertly and very professionally answer my calls.

What were your goals for this project?

Have a professional call answering solution for my inbound call traffic.

How did you select this vendor?

They called me and I did test with them. They answer my phone very professional and the agents are well trained.

Describe the project in detail.

Dimple inbound call services, then the operator transfers calls to me or a rep.

What was the team composition?

Call answer agents only.

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

Simple, the agents speak clearly, follow scripts and transfer calls professionally.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effecitive

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have very good and well-spoken agents.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They do gret.

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

We use these services because they are safe and more professional.

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

60.

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

Our goal was to have a professional service for our clients' insurance.​​​​​​​

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

AnswerForce offers a program of adjustment of appointments for meetings, personalized attention for customers when placing orders, and a multichannel option CRM.

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

They charge according to the service that the company needs. We send payment by check.

How did you find and select this service provider?

They were the recommendation of a friend.​​​​​​​

Please assess this service provider's quality of work.

Their work is excellent and very professional.

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

They save us 20% a month, which is very effective.

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

AnswerForce is a company that offers an excellent service at a good cost.​​​​​​​

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

The service and treatment they provide is excellent quality.​​​​​​​

Where do you think this service provider can improve?

I think AnswerForce provides a perfect service. I'm satisfied.​​​​​​​

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

We require inbound services when our firm goes through a lot of organizational changes.

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

The volume of inbound calls per day is around 60%.

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

To better manage the volume of incoming customer calls.

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

They provide us with a great service will managing our incoming calls.

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

They bill us monthly for their great service.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

We found the service through an online search.

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

They are very fast to respond to all our needs.

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

At least $300 per month.

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

They have improved our business in many ways and we now have more customers than we thought we would.

What are the service provider's strengths?

They make our company more versatile.

How can the service provider improve?

Nothing at all. They are great.

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

We've worked with them for over two years.

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

We spend about $50,000 to $199,999.