Call centres can be found all over the world. The sector is one with the most growth and the brightest future as greater numbers of businesses are turning to some form of telephone answering service to help them better their business offerings. By using a virtual receptionist, businesses can offer their clients 24-hour customer service. In essence, businesses no longer have to close down their operations at the end of the business day if they have a telephone answering service ready to pick up the slack for them. It is a highly convenient way of remaining open and available to customers around the clock.

However, how does one go about choosing from among the number of call centres on the market? There are some very easy ways in which you can make the selection of a telephone answering service easier. For instance, one of the best ways of making a short list of the companies offering virtual receptionist options is to ask colleagues or associates if they have any recommendations. Usually getting a recommendation from someone is a positive start to any selection process. If you do not have anyone you can ask or if you do ask and it produces no results, then you can always do an online search for call centres.

You will undoubtedly get hundreds of listings for contact centres in your area. You can then make a list of those that look the most promising. The first thing to do is to check out a call centre’s website to get a sense of how professional the outfit is. Next you will have to call the telephone answering service to get a clear idea of what they offer and how much they charge for their services. Some places will only offer telemarketing and customer service options while others will provide lead generation and virtual receptionist options – what you need will be a key factor in the selection process. Once you have the answer to what each place offers, you should set up a meeting with the representative at their offices to make sure that they are running a legitimate operation. If you are in negotiations with overseas offices, it would still be worth your time and money to take a trip to visit them. Not only will it give you peace-of-mind that you are handing your contract to a legitimate operation, but you can see what kind of agents will be talking to your customers and clients. If you notice that morale is low or that the agents seem unenthusiastic then it is best to sign with a different provider. However, if you are satisfied with what you see, then you will have the chance to actually talk with the agents and provide them with your own incentives for taking good care of your company’s calls.

Signs to watch out for include a high agent turn-over, poorly run facilities, disgruntled or bored-looking agents and a lack of regard for the way you want your customers to be greeted.

Hiring call centres can be a very efficient way to boost your bottom line – as long as you hire the right call centre.