Can anyone recommend a call answering service? (virtual receptionist?)

[stormy3000]

Hi

We're a small company, i.e. today its just me in the animation studio. Some days there's 3 of us...

Often I'll be out at a meeting, or will have decided to call it a day a little bit early and decide to go home and see the kids etc.

What virtual receptionist services can anyone recommend?

What experiences have you had?

Is there another option I've not thought of that might be simpler... i.e. an actual digital voice rather than a real person ( a real person is obviously far better but it's always good to know the options).

How much do you pay... I'd expect no more than 3 to 5 calls a day... on a busy day. Most people use our websites contact form or email when starting a new project.

I know it's a service that's worth paying for, as one successful job can be worth a couple of grand and up... but again the number of sales calls via the phone is minimal.

Many Thanks

Jon

 

[North Star]

This is from a friend:

"Call centres – been through the mill on this. Hot Office have become useless since they became part of Regus.


I’m now using a company called Anserve (but at the moment I can’t recommend them; you need a handful of people who at least know something about your business rather than a random person with a script) so I’m looking myself."

His is a slightly different situation to yours in that he's doing regional leaflets drops.

I'm in a similar situation to you; one man band. What I did was get my wife to record the message as she has a better telephone manner to me and she asks the caller "Please don't hang up" up the start of the message.

Feel free to give me a missed call if you want to hear it as I don't answer the 'phone before 3!

One of the benefits of potential clients going to answerphone is that it 'positions' yourself in a certain way...

In the words of the great Dan Kennedy; and I paraphrase here:

"No one would have come to Moses if he was at the bottom of the mountain"!

 

[Ashley_Price]

@Emma Fryer of Answer It.

Always happy to recommend her.

Else, also try Offload Business Resources

 

[Mark T Jones]

answer.co.uk works well for me

 

[stormy3000]

Thanks for the replies... just checking out answer.co.uk now...

 

[mrmclark1980]

moneypenny.com

Wifes company use these and there excellent.

 

[Alyson Dyer]

We use callcatchers dot co dot uk and have no complaints

 

[Emma Fryer]

We are fab - contact us http://answer-it.co.uk