Answering Service Buyer’s Guide: Learn, Compare, Decide
Where do you start? With the calls you are missing today. Read the Learn pages if you are not yet sure an answering service would help. Move to Compare once you know you need one and want to choose the type and hours of coverage. Finish with Decide to vet a provider, read a quote and get set up.
Already comparing providers? Go straight to the questions to ask an answering service before you sign.
Am I losing calls, and what would an answering service do about it?
Start here if you are new to answering services or not yet sure you have a phone problem worth solving.
What is an answering service?
How calls reach an outside team, what agents do on your behalf, and what they don't.
ReadWhat is a virtual receptionist?
A remote front desk that answers in your name and routes calls by your rules.
ReadCall center vs answering service
Two different kinds of operation, and which one a typical business needs.
ReadWhat is call overflow?
What happens to callers when every line is busy, and how overflow answering works.
ReadWhat missed calls cost a business
A way to work out what unanswered calls cost you, using your own numbers.
ReadHIPAA-compliant answering services
What HIPAA asks of an answering service that handles patient calls.
ReadCall recording laws by state
One-party and all-party consent rules for phone calls in every state.
ReadSix signs to change your physicians answering service
For practices that already have a service and are wondering whether to switch.
Read
Ready for the next step? Go to Compare.
Which kind of service, and how much coverage?
Once you know you need help with the phones, these pages help you choose the type of service, the hours and the way calls are handled.
How to choose the right answering service
A step-by-step way to match a service to your calls, hours and budget.
ReadFeatures that matter (and ones that don't)
Must-haves, nice-to-haves and the features that rarely change the outcome.
ReadAfter-hours, overflow or 24/7 answering?
Which coverage pattern fits your business and how call forwarding makes it work.
ReadWhen an answering service is the wrong answer
The cases where you need something else, and what to use instead.
ReadVirtual vs in-house receptionist costs
What goes into each side of the comparison, so you can run your own numbers.
ReadSigns you've outgrown your in-house receptionist
When the front desk needs backup rather than replacement.
ReadDispatch vs message-taking for contractors
Whether your service should reach the on-call tech or just take the details.
ReadMedical scheduling vs answering service
Booking into your system versus taking messages, and which a practice needs.
ReadHow to write a call script
What your answering service needs from you to handle calls the way you would.
ReadDesigning an on-call escalation protocol
Who gets which urgent call, in what order, and what happens if nobody answers.
ReadCall recording and consent
What to ask an answering service about recording calls and caller notices.
Read
Ready for the next step? Go to Decide.
Is Answering365 right for me, what will it cost, and how do I start?
When you are close to a decision: how pricing works, how to vet a provider and read a quote, and what happens after you sign up.
Questions to ask before you sign
A vetting checklist for any provider, and what good answers sound like.
ReadHow to compare quotes line by line
The fees and terms to ask about so two quotes can be compared fairly.
ReadWhat drives answering service cost
Per-minute, per-call and plan billing explained, and how to estimate your minutes.
ReadAnswering365 plans and what a quote covers
Our eight plans, how minute allowances and billing work, and the features in each service.
ReadAnswering service vs voicemail vs AI vs in-house
Four ways to handle calls, and when each one is the better answer.
ReadMessage Plus, Virtual Receptionist or Virtual Assistant?
Which of our three services fits the way your calls are handled today.
ReadCase studies
How named healthcare organizations use Answering365.
ReadCustomer reviews
What Answering365 customers say on Google.
ReadDo you need a business associate agreement?
When HIPAA requires a BAA with an answering service, and what it must cover.
ReadMedical answering service
How Answering365 answers for healthcare practices.
ReadSwitching answering services
Moving your number and scripts without dropping calls.
ReadYour first week with an answering service
What to expect once you sign up, from script to first live calls.
ReadHow to get started with Answering365
The steps from first conversation to live calls, with a quote request form.
ReadFrequently asked questions
Short answers to common questions about service, billing and setup.
Read
Rather ask a person?
Tell us how your calls are handled today and where they get stuck. The consultation and the quote are free. Not sure you need a service at all? Read when an answering service is the wrong answer first.
(888) 588-9800Get a free quote
Name, email and phone are all we need. Add a note about your calls if you like.