The right answering service answers every call live, 24 hours a day. It bills in a way you can predict, and it follows your script closely enough that callers feel they reached your own office. The fastest way to tell providers apart is to ask each one the same 10 questions before you sign.
Here are those questions, why each one matters, and what a good answer sounds like. We’ve included our own answers, too, so you can hold us to the same standard.
1. Are live agents available 24/7, including holidays?
A good answering service has live people answering every hour of every day, with no voicemail fallback at night or on holidays. Some services staff only business hours and send overnight calls to a recording, which defeats the purpose.
After-hours calls are often the ones that matter most: a burst pipe, a new legal matter, a patient with an urgent question. Ask directly: “If I call at 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving, does a person answer?”
Our answer: Always Answer’s live agents answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2. Where are your agents located?
A good provider can tell you where its agents work, how they’re trained on your account, and how long its team has been in place. A stable, well-trained team learns your business faster than a rotating one.
Also ask who you can contact if you have a question about how a call was handled.
Our answer: Always Answer is headquartered in Duncanville, Texas, and has been answering calls for businesses since 1975. Our team includes agents in the U.S. and internationally.
3. How is billing measured?
Billing is where two services with similar prices can end up costing very different amounts. Ask each provider to put these answers in writing:
- Do you bill per minute, per call or through a monthly plan?
- How are partial minutes rounded?
- Is there a monthly minimum?
- What’s the overage rate if I go over my plan?
- Can I check my usage during the month?
- Does time spent on hold, transferring calls or writing up messages count toward my bill?
A good answer is specific and simple. If you can’t estimate next month’s bill from what the provider tells you, keep asking.
Our answer: We’ll walk you through exactly how your calls are billed, and you can check your usage anytime in our online client portal, so there are no surprises. Run your own numbers with our ROI calculator, or request a quote based on your actual call volume.
4. Are there contracts or cancellation fees?
A good answering service earns your business every month instead of locking you in. Long contracts commit you before you know whether the service works for your callers.
Ask how much notice you need to give to cancel, and whether there are setup or early termination fees.
Our answer: Always Answer has no long-term contracts. If your business needs change, we just ask for 30 days’ written notice.
5. Can agents follow a custom script for my business?
A good provider writes a script around your business, not a generic “take a message” routine. The script should cover how to greet callers, which questions to ask, and what to do with each type of call.
Ask whether the script can branch by call type. A new customer, an existing client and an emergency usually need different handling. Also ask how quickly you can update the script when something changes.
Our answer: Every account gets a custom greeting and script, and we update it as your business changes.
6. Do you offer bilingual agents?
If some of your callers prefer a language other than English, a good provider has bilingual agents on staff rather than a translation line. A caller who can’t be understood may hang up and call someone else.
Ask which languages are covered and whether bilingual agents are available at all hours.
Our answer: Yes. Always Answer has bilingual agents.
7. How do messages reach me?
A message only helps if it reaches the right person quickly. A good provider lets you choose how each type of message is delivered: urgent calls by phone or text, routine messages by email.
Ask whether messages can go to different people depending on the call, whether you can get call recordings, and whether messages can be sent to your CRM or scheduling software.
If you run a medical practice, also ask how messages containing patient information are protected, and whether the provider will sign a business associate agreement. Our medical answering service page covers what healthcare offices should look for.
Our answer: We relay messages by phone call, text or email.
8. Can you dispatch emergencies and follow my on-call schedule?
A good answering service can tell an emergency from a routine request, and it knows who to call when one comes in. This matters most for contractors, property managers and healthcare offices.
Ask whether agents can follow a rotating on-call schedule, what happens if the on-call person doesn’t answer, and whether each attempt to reach them is logged.
Our answer: Our agents can dispatch urgent calls to your on-call staff using the schedule and rules you set.
9. Do you offer an AI option, and can it hand calls to a person?
An AI receptionist can answer routine calls around the clock, such as questions about hours, directions or booking. But some calls need a human, and a good provider makes that handoff seamless.
Ask exactly what the AI can handle, what makes it pass a call to a person, and whether a live agent picks up or the call goes to voicemail.
Our answer: Callie, our AI receptionist, handles routine calls and hands off to a live agent on our team when a caller needs a person.
10. Can I try the service before I commit?
The best way to judge an answering service is with your own calls. A good provider lets you test it before you commit.
Ask how long the trial lasts, what’s included, and whether you need to sign anything to start.
Our answer: You can try Always Answer free for 7 days.
Your answering service checklist
Bring these 10 questions to every provider you’re considering:
- Do live agents answer 24/7, including holidays?
- Where are your agents located?
- How is billing measured, and can I check my usage?
- Are there contracts or cancellation fees?
- Can agents follow a custom script?
- Do you offer bilingual agents?
- How do messages reach me?
- Can you dispatch emergencies and follow my on-call schedule?
- Do you offer an AI option with a live handoff?
- Can I try the service first?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best answering service for a small business?
The best answering service for a small business answers live around the clock, bills in a way you can predict, and handles your specific call types. The best test is a trial with your own calls. Learn more about Always Answer’s small business answering service.
How much does an answering service cost?
Cost depends on your call volume and how the service bills: per minute, per call or through a monthly plan. Use the billing questions in question 3 to compare providers fairly. To see the numbers for your business, try our ROI calculator or ask us for a quote.
Should I hire a receptionist instead?
An in-house receptionist covers about 40 of the week’s 168 hours, and wages are only part of the cost. We compare both options in virtual receptionist vs. in-house receptionist.
Ask us all 10 questions
We’re happy to answer every question on this list before you sign. There’s no long-term contract, and you can try us free for 7 days. Get a quote to get started.
