Employee Spotlight: Kay Mornes
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Kay Mornes: Center
AnswerNow! is pleased to recognize Kay Mornes for her achievements within the organization over the last eight years. When Kay first started with our organization, she had never worked in the healthcare or call center industry. Kay, however, had amazing determination during her training, and worked diligently to perform her best work. A truly loyal employee, Kay maintained perfect attendance with AnswerNow! for over eight years before retiring in August 2009. We were sad to see Kay leave, but knew she wanted to spend more time with her family. When Kay called us in December 2009 and asked us if she could come back to work part time, we were delighted to welcome her back to the team. For almost nine years now, Kay has continued to maintain perfect attendance, a perfect 100% quality assurance score, and nearly flawless work. Kay is frequently recognized by callers for providing outstanding service, and has received multiple client compliments on a monthly basis. We are so pleased to have Kay as a part of the team, and hope she will continue her position with AnswerNow! until she makes a decision to retire, again.
A Word from Kay:
I have been employed by AnswerNow! as a Team Member for. I was hired in April of 2002 and retired in August 2009. Then, in December 2009, I applied for a part time weekend position and was graciously allowed to return. I moved to Arizona from Western Pennsylvania after my husband passed away to be with my only daughter Diana. I had never worked in the medical operations field before; however, with excellent training, I found this opportunity to be the best fit for me in Arizona. I thoroughly enjoy my day to day duties. I have been offered promotional positions, however I truly enjoy assisting callers on the phone and helping them with whatever problem they may need solved or solution they may be seeking. It has been rewarding, knowing I am helping others by providing this service. AnswerNow!’s incentive programs are awesome! Through different incentives available, I was afforded the opportunity to take my four year old granddaughter Samantha to Disneyland – not once, but twice! Since December 2009, I now spend my time with family during the week, and work part time on the weekends. Thank you to Margo Weiss and the AnswerNow! Team for acknowledging me, and for truly being the best.
This Summer Brings New Growth for AnswerNow!
By · CommentsDespite a “bad” economy and low job ratings in the state of Arizona, AnswerNow is continuing a natural growth and is expecting a large expansion over the next few months. This includes adding team members to handle the influx of business. So that means AnswerNow! is hiring! Our plan is to add 20-25 new people to our team, with applications being taken immediately! If you are interested in becoming a member of our team you can apply online at www.answernowinc.com. All jobs are a result of natural growth, and are not replacement positions.
AnswerNow!: Best Places to Work
Many businesses will tell you they are a great place to work, but we have it in writing. AnswerNow! has been a recipient of The Phoenix Business Journal’s Best Places to Work several years in a row. In order to win the award, we had to submit our nominations and then we were picked based on employee surveys submitted to Quantum Workplace. Our employees have spoken, they love being a member of our team! As hard as we work, we play equally hard. Our break room has satellite television, Wii gaming consoles, computer with internet access and a Ping Pong table that has been the center of many employee competitions focused around winning the coveted Ping Pong trophy. AnswerNow! also holds fun company competitions, where winning teams are rewarded with fun evenings at places such as Dave & Busters.
Your business is on the rise and you’ve made the decision to hire someone to start fielding all your calls, a true sign of prosperity. Before you begin the lengthy interview process of hiring the right person to be your in-house receptionist, have you considered what it’s going to cost you? Are you going to be able to provide enough hours and work for someone who is relying on this job for stable income? There is a lot more to hiring a receptionist than most people realize, so before making that decision, ponder these next few thoughts.
Is it Cost Effective?
There are many advantages to partnering with an answering service for your virtual receptionist, beginning with being more cost-efficient than hiring a receptionist. A staffed receptionist is another person on a payroll, which could affect the percentage you pay to an outsourced human resource company. Another staff member affects the taxes you pay on a business and will also cost you more in providing benefits. Does your company also require overflow calls or after-hour phone service? Are you meant to be available 365 days a year? That is a lot of overtime to be paid to a receptionist or you may need to hire several receptionists to be on staff. Partnering with an answering service for your virtual reception will guarantee that you will be provided with their answering service whenever you need it. It does not matter if you need it part-time, for overflow calls, after-hours or on a full-time basis, 24/7, even 365-days a year. At AnswerNow! we never call out, ask for vacation, or require constant management time.
Will You Be Paying a Receptionist to be on the Internet?
Before hiring a receptionist, you also need to consider if you truly have enough work to keep them busy 40 hours a week? A receptionist will need to be available to answer the phone any time it rings, but what will she do in the meantime? Perhaps you don’t have enough call volume to keep your receptionis busy 40 hours a week so you provide them with other tasks to complete. When you do provide work to be done like data entry or other office management jobs, she could be overwhelmed with handling all incoming calls and other important work does not get . Hiring AnswerNow! as your virtual receptionistyou will essentially fill three job positions for less than the cost of one! You will have a personal assistant, a receptionist and high quality customer service representatives. While you are out doing what you do best, AnswerNow! will be busy covering your calls, taking messages, registering people for an event you are having, or scheduling appointments. AnswerNow! includes multiple shifts of live team members, who are fresh and ready to handle your business.
Where do Your Call Center Agents Work From?
By · CommentsRecently it has become a trend for call centers to allow their agents to work from home. It’s cost effective for the agency and it is easier for the center to find employees who are willing to work shorter and more flexible hours. But is this the smart choice? There are several concerns that arise with call centers that employ home-based agents, and these challenges can end up costing your business valuable customers and impact your bottom line. It is imperative that when you hire a company to answer your phone calls, your customers do not know that they are not speaking to someone in your office. While home-based agents may be the trend for now, there are flaws to the system that you should be aware of.
What Do Your Customers Hear?
How are companies finding the right people to staff these work-at-home positions? Just because an employee is a hard-working, focused employee in the office does not mean that the same employee will be as effective working from home with daily distractions. Yes, a center can require that their home-based agents work from a home office without interruptions from children, pets or delivery people, but how is it truly enforced? You never know what your customers might hear in the background of a home-based agent’s home office. At AnswerNow! each of our team members are in a sound-proof cubicle, and there are never radios, televisions or employee chatter in the background. This also makes certain that each of your customers receives undivided attention.
Security, Training and Technical Difficulties
Another challenge that answering services may face when employing home-based agents is how to handle training. Suppose an agent receives a call that is out of their realm of capabilities? How long will it take them to reach a supervisor from home, putting your customer on hold for longer than AnswerNow’s “seconds” policy? Our team leaders are behind our agents at all times, and are ready to assist as soon as need be. There is also an issue of security. It is extremely difficult to constantly monitor what an agent is accessing on their home computer while during working hours. This could jeopardize customer information as well as your business information. Finally, in the case of technical difficulties, what happens to customer calls if a home-base agency loses power? At AnswerNow!, we have backup generators and phone lines to ensure that you never lose a call.
Happy Anniversary AnswerNow!
By · CommentsJuly 1, 2010 will mark AnswerNow!’s 34th anniversary and we are celebrating with expansion and looking toward the future with new technologies while preserving the values that AnswerNow! was established upon. AnswerNow! was founded on July 1st, 1976 by Margo Daley-Soll when she suddenly became widowed and had to support and raise 10 children on her own. Margo, a doctor’s wife, noticed a need for a medical call centers that focused on maintaining positive human interaction while serving doctors, their staff and their patients. Over the years, we expanded to also include other business industries that had a need for outsourcing any inbound answering service needs. Our company has been operating under the same management since 1976, and continues to focus on quality service for our clients and an enjoyable workplace for our employees.
34 Years of Quality Service for our Clients
As you read last month, AnswerNow! won the ATSI Award for Excellence for our fourth year in a row. Not only did we achieve this award, but we also ranked number one nationally. Our anniversary will mark 34 years of our daily pledge to provide businesses like you with the best service possible. Our team members are continually learning new technologies and policies to improve our dedication to you, including HIPAA guidelines all the way down to a new keyboard that allows for us to serve your patients in an even timelier fashion.
34 Years of Caring for Our Employees
AnswerNow! believes that taking care of those who work for us will provide better service for our customers. Happy employees creates a happy work environment, which will resonate in the quality of phone service we provide you and your customers. AnswerNow! holds quarterly team competitions, as you saw mentioned in an earlier blog post. The same team that won last quarter’s competition also won the first quarter competition of 2010. They were awarded a BBQ and pool party at the home of Michelle Weiss, Director of Business Marketing. The team was able to choose what they wanted to do, and they felt it would be fun to just be together on a friendly basis, celebrating their victory.
Then to celebrate our top ranking for ATSI, AnswerNow! awarded the hard working team members by placing a new Wii Gaming System with multiple games in the employee lounge/break room, which also contains a ping pong table, air hockey table, employee computers and other items for relaxing on break. The Wii was brought in on June 25th, in which we also held a party where employees were given additional paid breaks to play Wii games, enjoy company provided food and beverage and just relish in the fact that we are the number one call center in the United States, thanks to their hard work and achievements.
AnswerNow Explains Outsourcing Services
By · CommentsThe main meaning of outsourcing services for business owners is to save time and money, leaving room for you to do what you do best. You can outsource almost anything: answering service, accounting, design work, the list can go on and on. There are, however, several misconceptions when it comes to what outsourcing really means. We would like to go over a couple main points of what outsourcing should mean for your business.
Outsourcing really is “In”sourcing
And by “In”sourcing, we mean within the United States. It has been a popular notion that Asian countries are the greatest outsourcing destinations because of the cheaper rate over American or European. But what do you lose? Can you communicate with your overseas outsourcing partner as easily as someone within the United States? We are starting to see that keeping your outsourcing in the US is becoming more of a trend, and in fact many companies that outsourced overseas at one point in time are now changing their philosophy and searching out US based call centers. It not only helps with the US economy, but it helps maintain more a personal feel with your business. AnswerNow is an Arizona based answering service with all of our team-members in house.
Outsourcing Should be a Partnership
Just as you wouldn’t hire someone that you didn’t have a good report with, you shouldn’t choose an outsourcing partner with whom you couldn’t have a solid relationship with. Whatever aspect of your business that you choose to outsource, the service provider should be able to perform the business requirements the best way that YOU see fit. Your clients should never be able to realize that they are not dealing with you or your team personally because your service provider essentially is a part of your team. AnswerNow consults with every client to get a better understanding of how the business is run and we then train our staff in your specialty in order to guarantee call success.
Virtual Reception: Software vs. Answering Service Center
By · CommentsIt’s a good problem to have; your business is growing and expanding, however you don’t have the time in the day to field all incoming calls and voicemails. You realize that you are going to have to invest in help, but do you purchase software that uses an automated attendant or do you call on an answering service for your virtual receptionist needs? Of course the answer to this question lies in the needs of your business, but let AnswerNow tell you why a high-quality answering service will set you apart from your competition.
Losing the Human Touch
In a world of technology, the personal touch of a human voice is becoming more and more of an archaic thought. However, your customers may balk at talking to an automated system, leaving them feeling cold and you may end up losing a customer. Utilizing a call center service, such as AnswerNow will maintain the personal touch of a live human voice. Our team members answer your company’s calls with the name of your business and then politely and professionally assist them in the same manner that you would. Your customers will never know that they are speaking to an outside agent, and they will never experience the impersonal coldness of speaking with a machine.
Can Your Automated Attendant do this?
Yes, automated attendant software will be able to “answer,” forward calls and take messages, but what else can it do? Virtual receptionists and virtual offices are able to filter high priority calls versus basic questions, which AnswerNow’s team members are trained to quickly navigate through scripts used in your virtual reception account in order to answer properly. We can provide driving directions, hours, basic questions on your products/services and any other general information. Just remember, a virtual receptionist is supposed to be an extension of your team; our AnswerNow team members are trained to do the job as if they are member of your staff. Can a machine do that?
Employee Spotlight: Joanna Luna
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We are very excited to introduce a new monthly segment to our blog spotlighting some of our exceptional team members. AnswerNow! Inc feels that our team member’s hard work and dedication is what makes us an industry leader, so we would like to honor our finest and also let you get to know the faces behind the phone line. This month we are spotlighting Joanna Luna.
We have been privileged to have Joanna on our AnswerNow! team for three years and recently she was promoted from a Team Manager role to an Account Manager role. She has joined our existing team of Account Managers and is responsible for being a single point of contact for all aspects of accounts including updates and informational changes, billing questions, or any other questions or discussion our clients need to have. Joanna is the cheerful voice our clients hear on the other end of the line when they call in on their account.
A Word From Joanna
I have had the pleasure of working at AnswerNow! for the last three years. During the past couple of years, I was fortunate to grow within the company. I started as a Team Member answering incoming calls on the Operations Floor and have transitioned to an Assistant Team Manager, then to a Team Manager, and now I am the newest addition to the Customer Service Department. In the Customer Service Department, we are assigned a group of accounts and we are responsible for managing all aspects of the account from managing on call schedules, following up on Team Member questions regarding the account, keeping account information update, answering client questions, and checking in with our clients on regular basis to ensure they are still happy with service, and to see if there is anything we can do to be of further assistance for our clients. I enjoy working for AnswerNow because of the company culture, positive attitudes, friendliness, and the many opportunities to grow. When I’m not at work assisting clients or answering calls, I like to spend time at home with my family. I have a three year old son named Hayden Jeremiah who consumes the majority of my time. We recently moved into our first home in Avondale, so when I’m not busy unpacking, I enjoy watching movies, shopping, watching sports, spending time with friends or simply going out for a drive. I thank AnswerNow! for all that I have been fortunate enough to experience.
Four Years Running: ATSI Award of Excellence Winner
By · CommentsIn May 2010, AnswerNow! was thrilled to be ranked NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONALLY for the 2010 ATSI Award of Excellence. We achieved the top score among all participating answering services / call centers around the globe. This is our fourth consecutive year winning this award, and we are very proud to be recipients. The award was presented to us on May 14, 2010 at the annual ATSI Convention in San Diego, CA.
What is the ATSI Award of Excellence?
The ATSI Award of Excellence is a measure of quality customer service provided by call centers and answering services around the world. As the leading industry association for answering services, ATSI has established a set of guidelines for call centers and answering services to demonstrate their level of customer service. “Mystery calls” are placed by a third party company throughout the year to participating call centers, and can be received at any time, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The “mystery calls” are scored in several categories including, but not limited to, hold time, correct use of grammar, manners, verification of information given by the caller, and operator knowledge and confidence.
Excellence equates to GROWTH at AnswerNow!
Since our goal is to ensure a positive experience for every caller, every time and to make sure each call is properly managed, it was time for AnswerNow to grow. We are very excited to bring on 10 new employees in May in order to continue to expand and train high-quality team members to guarantee our callers are always receiving the highest level of care.
Case Study: Health & Wealth Raffle
By · CommentsAnswerNow! is proud to be a regular part of Phoenix’s annual Health & Wealth Raffle, a fundraising drive that benefits St. Joseph’s Hospital. A community institution, the Health & Wealth Raffle has just wrapped up their 14th successful season. How have we helped? Our virtual call center services have been an integral piece of the Raffle’s success since 2003. By subscribing to our services, the organizers of the Raffle were able to offer the public bilingual, 24/7 phone services – something that would have been prohibitively expensive to do if they hired and trained their own staff.
Virtual Call Center Services is the Solution
Every year we receive compliments from people who have called in, stating that the warmth and professionalism of the call exceeded their expectations. After all, when the public calls in to enter the Raffle, they don’t know they’re calling a call service. Like with other companies, our work with the organization is completely seamless – we truly are the face and tone of voice behind every public interaction with the Health & Wealth Raffle. We take pride in knowing our contribution to this mighty fundraiser is not only functional, but positive as well!
Our Passion Comes through on every Call
We have noticed an interesting side effect of our work with the Health & Wealth folks over the years: when the cutoff date nears, the number of calls received increases exponentially. To handle this overflow, we never resort to outsourcing to other, less busy call centers, or even hiring work-from-home agents. Our team members and operators bond together to work extra hours, bring in friends and family to assist, and even come in on days off! We are passionate with our involvement and believe your busiest days should be our busiest days as well! Whether it’s the Raffle, or your own company, you can be confident that we are passionate about each and every call and will always go the extra mile to get the job done!