Why I’m Excited About the TAS Industry
By Peter L DeHaan, PhD
A couple years ago I started offering freelance commercial writing services. Not surprisingly, much of the work I do is in the answering service industry: commercial marketing, blog posts, website content, and marketing materials.
As I research and write for my clients in the TAS industry, one theme reoccurs. I am struck with the realization that there is great opportunity ahead of us. Though these opportunities aren’t readily apparent, they do exist. It takes visionary leaders willing to try new things. Some initiatives fail and some succeed. We learn from failure and build upon success.
These opportunities often mix great staff with exciting technology to spark creative service offerings. And of course, promotion and marketing is now more critical than ever.
Ours is a resilient industry. Yes, it is changing. Consolidation continues. Our vendors innovate like never before, producing technology that provides us the means to offer exciting new services. Clients expect more and that helps us get better. The bad players are being bought out or go out of business. The good players compete and grow and make money.
While there may be less answering services to do the work, I believe there is more business awaiting us than ever before.
I am so excited about the future of the TAS industry, and I hope you are, too.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of TAS Trader. Check out his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
Classified Ads:
Accounts for Sale: 49 accounts, 29% medical, billing $11,000 per month avg. Asking 12x average billing, $132,000 with half down, balance on terms or 10% discount for cash. Prefer to sell to someone in the Pacific Northwest. Contact Tom: 509-593-5239 or tschmerer@gmail.com.
Seeking to Acquire TAS: Looking to purchase an answering service or call center. Please contact me if you are selling! gm@answerally.com.
Seeking Acquisitions: Reputable TAS, in business since 1967 and still owned by the founding family, seeks a small TAS acquisition in the USA. Ideally, you’re billing under $50k per month. Smaller is better. We’ll treat you right, and your employees and customers. Let’s talk. Contact Doug at 888-693-7935 or douganswerphone@gmail.com.
Mastar.com can help you startup a TAS for as low as $500 to begin. Single station $1,500 up to 5 stations for $5500 and you own it! Revisit our site; other startup apps now available. Contact Rod Minarik: rodmastar@gmail.com or 541-606-9272.
Do Sweat the Small Stuff
By Barbara Bradbury
Editor’s note: We shared this information in the November 2012 issue of TAS Trader, but these four tips are even more relevant today so we’re posting them again.
When using the telephone, we don’t have the luxury of body language or eye contact to help us connect with our prospects and clients. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to even the smallest details. Try these tips to really connect with callers.
- Voice inflection determines the meaning that others take from the words we speak and helps us to build rapport. The lack of voice inflection is what can lead to misunderstandings when we communicate using email.
- Energy conveys our attitude, interest, and enthusiasm.
- Rate of speech that is too fast implies we don’t have time for our caller, while too slow can sound like we are distracted.
- Pitch that is too high may sound shrill, emotional, and even combative; too low can be difficult to hear or sound uncaring.
Record yourself at the beginning of your day and again at the end. Ask someone you trust to critique your telephone voice on both recordings. Does the quality of your voice tell your customers that you’re fully engaged and actively listening?
This information is courtesy of Answer Plus Communications Inc.
Telephone Answering Service News
Startel Launches Disaster Recovery Service
Unveiled at the 2016 Startel National User’s Group conference in San Diego, Startel’s disaster recovery service provides customers with a complete failover solution and peace of mind. The service enables users to back up application data in a simple, nondisruptive manner. Key features include automated synchronization of database and key files, automated database and key file backup, and a backup system that acts as a hot standby system. Synchronizations occur automatically on both the Startel Contact Management Center and Startel soft switch. “We are happy to provide [mission-critical organizations] with a service that not only minimizes downtime but also minimizes customer impact,” said Startel’s Bill Lane.
Call Center Solutions Company Unveils New Products
SA Hosted & Managed Solutions launched its new website, Youtube channel, and product offerings at the 2016 ATSI conference. SA Hosted & Managed Solutions rolled out two cloud-based technologies: xCally Motion and CallScripter Synergy. xCally Motion is an omnichannel asterisk-based contact center software that powers customer interactions via voice, chat, SMS, email, and fax. xCally software was developed in Italy by Xenial Lab and is used by more than 10,000 contact center agents worldwide. CallScripter Synergy, from IPPlus PLC, combines an agent scripting toolbox with a unified agent desktop system. SA Hosted & Managed Services announced it has been appointed by xCally and CallScripter as a distributor and technology partner in the United States and Canada.
Send us your TAS articles and news for consideration in the next issue.
Quotes for the Month
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose.” -Lyndon B. Johnson
“Kindness is always fashionable.” -Amelia Barr
“Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.” -unknown