answering service or answering machine?

[Tom]

We use employees. When we are open, there is a system of who answers

first, second, third, etc.

When we are closed, the phone is forwarded to one of us and we try to

answer as much as we can.

Voice mail does exist…might kick in when we are open about once a

month, more often when we are closed, but the odds of getting an

appointment are vastly higher when customers talk to a live

person….just like when you call a business.

[larrybloodworth]

We forward the phones to our cell phone and answer 24/7 due to the big ticket nature of transmission repair. Whether we answer the phone or miss the call, all calls are E-mailed to us with the voice mail attached. Even if they don’t leave a voice mail, we have both the CallerID and DID numbers to give them a call back.

[larrybloodworth]

Matthew,

That’s real exciting information. I never knew that. Thanks.

We’re a transmissions-only shop and primarily market via PayPerClick. We don’t count the clicks; we count the calls. It’s of paramount importance that we know what keyword drove that phone call.

I’ve also learned some keywords are “click burners”. In other words, they get lots of clicks, but no phone calls. The few calls we get are very low quality leads. Ironically, “transmissions” is one of the “click burners”. I would have never figure that out if I didn’t have keyword call tracking.

Check out MongooseMetrics.com for your clients. We’ve been with them for about 2 years and they make us money. I hope this helps.

J. Larry Bloodworth

Certified Transmissions

Draper, Utah

[basetend]

Every approach has some pros and cons, having a virtual receptionist or live answering services are always an advantage than answering machine. But at the same time answering machine is cost effective and we never ever miss an important phone calls. I think its depends on organization’s space, budget and call frequency for which service they should go for.