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Hudson Accountants

Case Study 7

The following case study has been written by a Chartered Accountant Client. It strays slightly from our other case studies template, but as it was so well put we decided to publish it just as she has written it.

Start Up:
When I first set up my business working from home I relied on my voicemail whenever I was in meetings or out of the office (or doing the school run). Even at the time I realised that this gave the impression of a really small, part time business. As soon as I thought I could afford it. (In fact it was cheaper than I expected because I don’t pay for getting rid of nuisance sales calls.) I looked around for a professional answering service to cover my first holiday. They needed to provide the high level of service that I wanted clients to associate with my business. Emma and the Answerettes came highly recommended and with a free trial so I couldn’t really lose.

The Trial:
My trial period went well and I decided that I would continue the service on a permanent basis. I had called my telephone number a few times to check how it was answered by different people and asked clients for feedback. Many were impressed by the professionalism of my new “receptionist” and commented without prompting. Emma and I share the same hatred of poor service.

The Unexpected Bonus:
I analysed my incoming calls and found that approximately 50% came from anonymous numbers which were generally cold callers which was quite overwhelming for a small start up business. There is no charge for fielding these calls only for dealing with real callers. My life is so much better without the cold callers. Emma and the team seem to have a particular skill in identifying and getting rid of them. I’m not aware of a single genuine caller who has been turned away by mistake.

The Growing Team:
My business and team has grown, I now have employees but we still continue to use the service as it is possible that we are all out, on holiday or in meetings. I train my team by asking them to ring our number and then answer the telephone to the same high standards as the Answerettes. I keep the phones permanently diverted on no answer so that I don’t need to think about switching over whenever I go out or into a meeting. When I am on the phone I often hear the beep as a caller is diverted to Emma and the team. I don’t need to rush to finish a call for fear that I will miss an important enquiry.

Busy Periods:
I know that some people use their answering service so that they can concentrate on technical work. I try not to do this as I like to be accessible to clients but sometimes, when I’m working to a tight deadline or during January, it is nice to know that clients and new enquiries will receive a professional response when I’m not available.

Would I recommend Emma and the Answerettes? I already have!

Della Hudson – Hudson Accountants – Bristol

www.hudsonaccountants.com