Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, releases his latest book, How to Start a Telephone Answering Service. “When I consulted for the answering service and call center industries, people kept contacting me who wanted to start a telephone answering service,” says DeHaan. “I didn’t feel right taking their money and tried to talk them out of it. […]
Embrace Today as an Opportunity to Form a Better Tomorrow As we step into the new year, we embrace the potential that it brings. Now is the time to move toward our best year yet. It starts with embracing the opportunities we have in front of us at this moment. What might this be? It […]
Is Saying “Your Call Is Important to Us” Rhetoric or Reality? Whenever I call a company, I pay close attention to what happens. You probably do too. I look for specific details that thrill me. I also look for areas that need improvement. And I especially note my overall reaction to the call. Did they […]
It’s Time to Take a Counterintuitive Look at Hourly Pay The biggest expense for telephone answering service is payroll. You know that. You strive to hold down payroll costs to control expenses and stay in business, hopefully, to turn a profit. Scheduling too many people to answer phone calls drives payroll costs up. Paying too […]
This Thanksgiving Seek Effective Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Front-Line Employees Thanksgiving will soon be here. For many people that means a four-day weekend. There may be a grand feast with family, watching a parade or football game, and perhaps a nap. Then there’s Christmas shopping on Friday—or Thursday afternoon for those who can’t […]
5 Key Contributors to Answering Service Success Over the years I’ve seen some answering services get larger, while others didn’t. Before we attribute the difference to bad timing, being in the wrong place, or poor luck, let’s consider some characteristics that can contribute to answering service success. This isn’t a scientific analysis or a guaranteed […]
Receiving Independent, Third-Party Feedback Is the Most Valuable Information You Can Get As a writer, I’m a big fan of constructive feedback. Sometimes it’s affirming and other times it’s discouraging, but when it comes from a credible source it’s always beneficial. The same applies to the answering service industry. Receiving independent, third-party feedback about service […]
How We Handle Each Day Prepares Us for the Next One In the medical answering service and call center industry, there’s always more than enough to do to fill each day. Between staffing issues, client or caller crises, and technical problems there are not enough hours to attend to them all. Given this pressure from […]
Learning to Say No Opens the Door to Yes By nature, I like to help people. I enjoy diving into exciting projects. And I relish variety. As a result, I tend to say “yes” to opportunities that come my way. And the more I say “yes,” the busier I get. Eventually, my commitments overwhelm me […]
Some healthcare call centers embrace the work-at-home option, while others are categorically against it. Let’s explore the pros and cons of using home-based agents, along with the potential risks of embracing or dismissing this option. Benefits of Home-Based Agents There are two primary reasons to use home-based agents to staff your medical call center. The […]