Is your answering service meeting your needs? In a perfect world, you’d be there for your patients and customers 24/7 – there to answer every call, email and incoming message they’re sending your way. But try as you might, you simply can’t. Voicemails can be a good safety net, but callers don’t always have the patience to leave messages. Receptionists can help cover the phones, but can quickly become too expensive when you’re on a budget. When you’re in a bind and need an affordable service to manage your incoming communications, a telephone answering service could be just the answer. But before you hire, consider these 5 important aspects:

• Privacy. Does your business discuss medical information or have strict privacy standards? If so, look for an answering service that is 100% HIPAA compliant.
•  Call Coverage. Does the answering service have the capabilities to be there when you can’t? Find a live answering service that can be there to answer your calls 24/7/365.
• Professionalism. Does the live answering service handle calls with the same professionalism and care you would? Look for agents who have gone through extensive training and can seamlessly adapt to your company’s voice.
• Promptness. Does the telephone answering service answer your calls in a timely fashion to ensure the best service for your callers? Make sure callers aren’t waiting ring after ring for their questions to be answered.
• Custom Message Delivery. Will your messages be delivered to you in the method that is most convenient? Find a company that can accommodate your preferences, whether that includes text, email, fax or voicemail.

Make sure your telephone answering service is working for you, both personally and professionally. Next time, ask about these five important values before jumping on board.

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