As addressed earlier, any business that relies on 24-hour availability of some sort most likely needs to outsource answering live phone service to some degree. However, there are situations in which these services may be warranted which are not so clearly defined.

For example, it may be time to consider contacting a vendor for a 24 7 live answering service if a business has recently experienced a sharp increase in sales and/or call volume. This spike in telephone traffic may be a temporary increase related to a recent marketing campaign or the beginning of a long-term growth pattern. Other times, in high-volume calling situations, it may be necessary to screen a great number of callers and forward urgent, complex or high-priority calls to the appropriate department or staff member. Either way, small scale services could be a nice short-term compromise between taking all calls in-house and implementing a fully outsourced call center.

Money spent on a quality 24 hour live answering service is money well spent. Keep a few buying tips in mind in order to make these services pay off for your business:

• Determine a budget for live answering service. Ask vendors to clearly define pricing and any additional fees.
• Know the company's traffic patterns and call volume in as much detail as possible.
• Get only what you need. Don't overpay by padding the minutes you think you'll use. Be realistic if price is important.
• Know where calls are going. Ask the vendor exactly where the call center is and if there are satellite offices.
• Finally, it goes without saying that one must choose a reputable vendor. Customers aren't necessarily going to know or care whether an unprofessional or rude representative is an employee of your company or answering live phone service calls from a call center in Bangladesh. The quality and efficiency of any telephone support provider is going to have a direct reflection on your company, so choose carefully and wisely.