Price of Answering Service Less Important to Businesses Than Call Quality and Use of Innovative Technology, a New Survey Finds

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Regardless of cost, if an answering service provider does not provide 24/7 answering capabilities or good call quality, a business is less likely to choose that provider, according to a recent survey by Clutch, a leading B2B research and review firm.

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In addition to hours of operation and call quality, the survey found that responsiveness and use of innovative technology are more important than pricing in determining which provider a business will select.

Pricing of answering services is typically dependent on the amount of calls handled by the service, according to the survey, which finds that as the amount of calls handled by a service provider per day increases, so does the amount businesses spend on those services on a monthly basis.

"The answering service is selling time. They're selling access to agents. The pricing is going to be all based on how people use it," said Dan L'Heureux, Executive Director of the Southern Telemessaging Association.

The following top 3 factors were cited by companies as primary reasons to use an answering service:

• 24/7 answering capabilities
• Better customer service
• Ability to connect with more clients on a regular basis

Like the variation in reasons and prioritized features businesses exhibit towards answering services, no one provider dominates the answering services market. VoiceNation (14%) was found to be the most popular, while all other providers control less than 10% of the market.

Regardless of the service brand selected, businesses appear to be overwhelmingly positive about their answering service providers.

When it comes to getting their money's worth, nearly 75% of businesses surveyed cite "excellent" (29%) or "above average" (46%) value.               

In addition, no particular issue was identified among 38% of respondents regarding their answering service provider, and 82% said they receive "positive" or "somewhat positive" feedback from their customers on their answering service.

"We certainly believe that the answering services we provide have a lot of value, but seeing such an overwhelming majority of respondents in agreement that they are getting above average to excellent value is very exciting," said Andrew Tillery, Marketing Director of answering service Sound Telecom.

Given the similar levels of perceived value and user feedback received in a varied market, Clutch recommends that buyers:

1. Estimate the amount of calls you will expect an answering service to handle. That way, you can more accurately gauge pricing and which service would work best for your needs.
2. Understand the specific needs you want addressed with an answering service. By doing so, you can identify specific features like innovative technologies or industry knowledge, which can act as differentiators between answering service providers.

The survey was the first in its segment for Clutch, and includes 301 companies in the US which use an answering service.

For the complete report, visit https://clutch.co/telecom/answering-services#survey.

About Clutch
A B2B ratings and reviews firm in the heart of Washington, DC, Clutch connects you with the agencies and software solutions that can help you enhance your business and meet your goals. Our methodology maps agencies and software solutions based on consumer reviews, the type of services offered, and quality of work.

Contact
Grayson Kemper
202-470-0491
[email protected]

SOURCE Clutch