 Using an answering service can give unexpected perks to a business owner. When Greg of Whole House Fan Company realized he just couldn't handle the calls anymore, and it wasn't in the budget to hire a full-time receptionist, he handed the phones over to Tel-Com. He was in for a surprise.
Greg is a family man, and he was constantly put in the position of choosing to talk to a client or to his wife. And at home, he had to make the choice between talking to customers or spending time with his 3 children. The phone rings, the children give you that pleading look. As a business grows, being pulled in multiple directions takes a toll. Whole House Fan Company has all of its calls forwarded to Tel-Com, and Greg is breathing easier and enjoying being the family man. "I have those little moments of the day to breathe and be with my family. Knowing my phone is being answered at 6 or 7 when I'm having dinner or tucking my kids in, it's invaluable." Whole House Fan Company offers a unique product that draws phone calls in the evenings and weekends. It's a product driven by direct word-of-mouth referrals. Friends at a dinner party will be impressed with the cool temperature of a sunny, California home, and exclaim, "I gotta have one of these fans!" People want to do business when they're excited about it. Greg has observed that potential clients are turned off by the unprofessionalism of voicemail, but "if they reach a live person, it's huge--it shows them that we're working hard to take care of our customers." What are some other surprising perks about using an Answering Service? I can focus on driving! Business owners nationwide can relate to the stress of trying to juggle a Bluetooth device, clipboard, and a steering wheel. Dedicated to customer service, it is hard to ignore an incoming call, or to pull to the side of the road and risk missing the destination appointment! Batching tasks boosts sales! Greg has mastered the art of batching his sales calls. Instead of randomly calling people back and struggling to keep track of his notes, he can sit down in an uninterrupted area and time frame, with a pen and notepad and give potential customers his undivided attention. Any other tips for Tel-Com users?
Tel-Com appreciates the opportunity to work with customer service-oriented business owners like Greg of Whole House Fan Company. We are excited to be your support team! Please contact us for more information about taking advantage of Tel-Com's services!  It was 9 AM on the first Tuesday of the month. The salon was closed for the monthly team meeting, but that didn't stop the phone from ringing. Every few minutes the phone would sound, insistent on being answered. The hair stylists were brainstorming ways to improve the customer experience, and ways to give customers the feeling that they were VIPs. The phone rang again as if to say, "The answer is here!"
Tres Benzley, owner of Caliber Salon, recognized that while the monthly meeting was integral to improving standards, answering the phone every time it rang was a key part of making customers feel respected and valued. The receptionists could not be tasked with answering the phone, as their input was crucial to the team meeting. Tel-Com was contacted and less than a week later, a script and system was in place. Caliber Salon, being service-oriented, wanted the opportunity to answer incoming calls. They set up the system to go to the answering service on the third ring, allowing plenty of time for the in-house receptionists to get the call if possible. Being a busy salon, many times it is just not possible for the stylists and receptionists to handle incoming and outgoing phone calls, plus clients in-person. When a call is missed, messages are sent to the salon email account and to the individual stylists' phones as a text message. This allows for scheduling emergencies to be addressed by the appropriate parties, and for the salon to work together to give optimal service. "We enjoy having an answering service that takes our calls when we are not available to take them on our off days, on weekends, late hours, holidays, and other times when we just cannot reach the phone. This service allows for us to reach those clients immediately if needed with the use of text and email. It also allows for us to be of better service following up with messages, scheduling and rescheduling, which allows for better client retention and better over all customer service." Tres Benzley A selling point for Caliber Salon is their 24/7 reception. Clients are reminded that they are truly important when a business answers their calls. Tel-Com appreciates the opportunity to work with customer service-oriented business owners like Tres Benzley. We are excited to be your support team! Please contact us for more information about taking advantage of Tel-Com's services!
Waking Girl Web Design, a Reno company, came to us twice. The first time, this one-woman show turned us down, wanting a service that would dive a little deeper into the every day operations of her business. She hired an assistant at $2000 a month, and handed off the business phone and some of the responsibilities of the business. The new found freedom from the phone felt great, but after a few months, was not a justified expense. The phone was not answered reliably, as the assistant was just one human--who got sick, had family issues, and couldn't possibly answer 3 clients all calling at the same time. The business owner took the phone back and reviewed Answering Service options again. The low rates of Tel-Com made for an easy decision, especially after footing the bill for 20 times more than her qualified package. Waking Girl Web Design experienced an immediate and dramatic boost in sales and uninterrupted work time. Don't believe us? Take a look at our client's review: Thank you, Tel-Com for faithfully answering my business phone for the last 3 months. With 200 incoming calls we gained 20 new clients, 17 new websites, handled more than 120 projects and gained over 2100 hours of uninterrupted design, sleep and family time. If it's possible to love an Answering Service, then... I do. --Waking Girl Web Design We asked Waking Girl Web Design to tell us a little bit more about how our Answering Service has helped her. Q. What has surprised you the most about using an Answering Service? A. I knew that phone calls made me anxious, but I didn't realize why. I don't like being caught off guard. I'm a people-pleaser and I like to have answers and information for people on-demand. Now that I can call people on my terms and my time, I'm able to call back with confidence. Usually there's enough information left in the message for me to find the answer or just solve the problem before returning the message. I'm also able to respond to people by email, which saves me a lot of time. Q. How has it affected your personal life? A. I didn't realize how often my family and friends were calling during the work day. Since I work from home, it's easy to blur the lines of business/pleasure time. Now I get really polite text messages from my family asking if I'm available to chat. And the super cool thing about taking a break and chatting with my mom mid-day--our conversation is never interrupted by the beep beep beep of an incoming call! That's a relief! I can truly take breaks now and focus on the person I'm talking to. Q. How have your clients responded to the change? A. I'll admit, a few VIP clients were confused and offended at first. They really wanted to feel like they could get a hold of me whenever they wanted. I showed them the benefits--by fixing the problem within minutes of their phone call, and then calling them back and directing them to their website to see the changes. That resolved their view on the Answering Service real fast! New clients absolutely love it, and know from the get-go that my time is valuable and that most of our work will be completed through email. Waking Girl also commented on her move to a new timezone. Because we are a 24/7 answering service, our clients are free to switch timezones without end-users even noticing! All Tel-Com clients are invited to share their success stories. Tel Com is a national answering service, offering high-touch customer service to both its users and end-users (your clients!). Tel Com's client list includes sole proprietors and small to medium businesses in the following cities: 
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Answering Service Successes
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