It is important that CSRs understand what is and is not acceptable, and that you are not willing to subject your customer’s callers to anything but the best customer service available.

In our call centre we determined that 3 NON-NEGOTIABLES are:

• The correct spelling of the caller’s name
• The correct telephone number
• A courteous attitude throughout the call

Instead of listening to calls for one client who is at risk, we listen to calls for all clients, for all CSRs, and evaluate them on a variety of criteria loosely based on the CAM-X award of excellence. (A good idea would be to involve the CSRs on the creation of the QA criteria) After listening… the CSR is also invited to listen and evaluate their performance… with coaching goals and methods established as required. As with anything that is measured and regularly monitored … improvement was inevitable!

Of course, you need to be prepared to make the tough decisions if you have staff who simply don’t meet your standards. Each CSR who needs to improve their skills should be given one thing at a time to work on, and agree to a date by which they will master it. Our job is to provide the required coaching and encouragement, and to monitor their progress and provide feedback on a daily basis. If after the agreed upon time, and the agreed upon coaching, the CSR does not show significant improvement… you may need to invite them to find their success elsewhere for the sake of your customers and their callers.

Pretty soon CSRs start asking when they will be evaluated next … as they anxious to get the positive feedback that we sometimes don’t make enough time to give.

“I am deeply humbled to be counted amongst those previously indicted to the CAM-X Hall of Fame, many of whom have served as my mentors over the years. It is simply unimaginable that I should be recognized just for doing the things that I love to do, and having the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry along the way,” said Ms. Bradbury.

Ms. Bradbury is the Vice President of Special Counsel at AnswerPlus in Hamilton, Ontario, and has been with AnswerPlus for 27 years. Ms. Linda Osip, Executive director of CAMX, Lil Lyle, President of Connections Call Centre, John Whitehead, President of Northern Communications, and Paul Lloyd, President of AnswerPlus all spoke on behalf of Barbara and her contributions. “Barbara’s enthusiasm for coaching, quality of service, and employee empowerment has touched countless individuals and companies across both the United States and Canada. She is well respected, admired and revered within the industry, contributing to the evolvement and success of the call centre industry across North America,” states Paul Lloyd of AnswerPlus Inc.

The CAM-X Hall of Fame was established in 2001 in order to recognize dynamic individuals whose leadership has had a positive impact on the evolution of the Telephone Answering Service and Call Centre Industry. The Hall of Fame celebrates inductees for their accomplishments, their vision, their leadership and their tireless efforts to promote, support and protect the industry.

Founded in 1964, CAM-X is an industry trade association representing Call Centres and Telephone Answering Services from coast to coast across North America who work together to share ideas, develop new technologies and network with their peers in order to continue the growth of their businesses as well as that of the industry. CAM-X members are leaders in the field offering the most progressive of solutions available in today’s call centre environment.

For more information please contact:  Jennifer Ferby, jferby@answerplus.ca

905.522.4737

About Answers Plus: AnswerPlus is a 24/7, award winning, inbound call centre with offices in Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal.  AnswerPlus acts as the voice of companies who have decided to outsource their incoming contact centre, phone and /or data communication, helping contribute to their clients’ growth and success.

About Barabara Bradbury: Barbara Bradbury has been in the Call Centre business since 1984 and has coached her team at Answer Plus in Hamilton to develop the customer service skills that earned them the #1 ranked call centre in North America, according to the Association of Teleservices International (A.T.S.I.).

Published in Connections, Contact Management and Customer Service Newsletter, Barbara’s background in sales and customer service and the enthusiasm she brings to everything she does has made her a much sought after speaker at Conventions and Trade shows across North America, sharing what she has learned in the trenches about running a profitable business through ‘the delicate art’ of managing and motivating people to want to provide a level of customer service that goes beyond the expectations of her clients.

Independent judges are contracted by CAM-X to evaluate message services throughout North America over a six-month period.  The criteria for scoring include courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients.  If the company scores 80% or better in ALL categories, they are presented with the coveted Award of Excellence.  The program is now in its 22nd year.

“Every business needs an answering service” says CAM-X president Tom Sheridan.  “Participation in the CAM-X Award of Excellence program helps make for a great first impression for all callers, even when contact is made after regular business hours.  A live agent simply provides a better customer service experience than automated systems or callers having to wait until the office reopens for business.  The CAM-X Awards of Excellence program raises the bar for the best customer service experience possible.  We congratulate Answer Plus for their achievements.”

Founded in 1964, CAM-X began as a national trade Association representing live answering services. The Canadian Call Management Association now encompasses companies across North America offering specialized and enhanced operator based services including: call centres, contact centres, inbound telemarketing (order entry), paging, voice messaging, emergency dispatch, fax, and Internet-based services, among others. Please visit www.camx.ca for more information.

Now a seventeen-time winner, Answer Plus earned the Diamond Plus Award for seventeen consecutive years. CAM-X extends its congratulations to the staff of Answer Plus on their proven quality service to their customers.

At AnswerPlus, our award-winning staff members deal with any company’s on-call tasks at any time with only the utmost in quality, making it a 24-hour telephone answering service that outshines the rest.

AnswerPlus is specifically made for off-site reception for any company who wants to front end their business or who doesn’t have the budget to hire a receptionist on-site. Our Customer Service Receptionists (CSRs) are trained to be fully-knowledgeable about your business and will speak to your callers about their questions and/or concerns or any other inquiries. The CSRs will then transfer your callers to any member of your staff that can provide assistance.

Other than off-premise reception, AnswerPlus also handles other tasks as a 24-hour telephone answering service. Whether it’s our Emergency Response Team observing escalation protocol to notify your staff of any kind of disaster or taking in the necessary information for product delivery, AnswerPlus offers their services in multiple languages to any business.

The difference between AnswerPlus and any other 24-hour telephone answering service is that our philosophy is to treat our customers third. To ensure the best service to your callers, we invest a tremendous amount of energy into making our CSRs inspired to do their jobs. When your customers know that they are being welcomed when they call, then you’ll understand that we are a 24-hour telephone answering service that you can depend on.

So if you need a 24-hour telephone answering service for your company, contact AnswerPlus to see how we can help your business run smoothly.

With a 24 hour answering service, your employees are free to focus their undivided attention on each customer, without worry of getting a busy signal or call waiting. They can have peace of mind knowing that a well-trained, professional CSR is properly handling overflow calls and taking detailed messages for you to later respond to.

AnswerPlus offers a 24 hour answering service to many different types of businesses. Whether you may need someone to transfer calls in an emergency situation, for a large company or to direct calls for technical problems, there is a fully trained CSR ready to provide assistance. All of our CSR’s are trained in each industry, especially emergency response, to ensure they can properly assist customers in both French and English. Only those with great voices and outstanding personalities receive an interview, so you can take comfort in knowing that your customers will consistently receive outstanding customer service when using our 24 hour answering services.

The 24 hour answering service from AnswerPlus is exceptional because of the treatment and extensive training our CSR’s receive. We ensure they are treated with dignity and respect every minute of the day. The constant coaching and training they receive keeps them at the top of the game, ready to provide the highest level of knowledge and customer service to your business. As we work with our CSR’s to achieve the high expectations we set, it ensures your customers will receive the utmost in customer service.

Put your worries at ease and let AnswerPlus’s exceptional 24 hour answering service take care of your valued customers and business.

Many companies use our answering service in Hamilton because they want us to front end their business to handle overflow calling. Our Customer Service Receptionists (CSRs) are on hand 24/7 to assist your customers, extract important information from them and transfer them to the representative of your company that can help them further. Our CSRs are extensively trained to have a full understanding of your business so they can better assist your callers.

The difference between AnswerPlus and any other answering service in Hamilton is that we follow a specific order to provide the best services: our CSRs, your callers, then you. We make sure that our CSRs are happy when they’re working by giving them a pleasant working environment and constant motivation. This enables them to give your callers the professional service that we strive for, and you can take pride in how well your customers are treated.

Other than off-premise reception, our answering service in Hamilton specializes in a variety of other services that your business may find useful. With our Emergency Response Team on standby, your business will always be informed of any trouble involving your company or our CSRs can help with any customers looking to sign up for any kind of registration at any time. AnswerPlus provides all of its services in multiple languages so we can continue to be an answering service in Hamilton that can be used by anyone.

If your business is struggling with overflow phone calls, contact the answering service in Hamilton known as AnswerPlus.

Our answering service in Toronto is just like the one in Hamilton. Our Customer Service Receptionists (CSRs) will answer your incoming calls at any time, day or night, get the required information from your customers and re-direct them to the extension (land line, cell phone or pager) of your staff that they need. All CSRs will have the basic know-how of what your business does so they may help your callers with more ease. Your company will have the same relief as having a receptionist on-staff that knows your business inside and out.

What makes the AnswerPlus answering service in Toronto stand out from the rest is that our policy, for the best service, is to put our employees first. The amount of time we spend treating our CSRs with respect and dignity equals the professionalism that goes into speaking with your customers. When your customers have been treated with gratitude and respect, you’ll know that our answering service in Toronto is the right choice to represent your business.

AnswerPlus also offers other services besides off-premise reception for your business. In the event of a crisis, our Emergency Response Team will advise your on-call staff with crucial information. AnswerPlus can also be used as a backup phone line during any kind of disaster (severe weather, power failure, etc).

So our answering service in Toronto is accessible to everyone, all of our services are available in multiple languages.

AnswerPlus’ answering service in Toronto is available for any type of business that needs assistance with off-premise reception.

To make sure that our answering service is of the best quality, the welfare of our Customer Service Receptionists (CSRs) must always come first and our customers must come last. This philosophy is what has made us a unique answering service. Our CSRs must have great voices and wonderful personalities to answer our callers. We invest a lot of energy in ensuring they are knowledgeable and taken care of at our answering service. After the morale of our CSRs is in high resonance, our next priority is treating our customers’ callers with a helpful and positive attitude. Since we take care of our employees they can extend the same care to our clients.

As an answering service, AnswerPlus offers a multitude of services to our clients that are available in multiple languages. They include:

Off Premise Reception – we give the pleasant greeting to your callers and then transfer them to their designated extension. If you, or anyone else, are unavailable, then we will take detailed messages so you can call them back at a more convenient time.

Emergency Response – when there is a crisis, our Emergency Response Team will transmit urgent information to emergency personnel for instant action.

Disaster Recovery – during unexpected events (floods, power failures, etc.), we provide backup telephone systems for your business.

For many businesses, an answering service is an essential part to increase work efficiency, and AnswerPlus will gladly answer the calls.  Contact Answerplus today for more information.