Is the TAS Market Really Shrinking?
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
It doesn’t require much of a look at the telephone answering service industry to know that the number of answering services has been dramatically decreasing in recent years. While I don’t have an exact number, and doubt that anyone does, I think everyone agrees that we have fewer players in our industry today than at any time in recent memory.
But this isn’t because the industry is in trouble. In fact it’s just the opposite. Many business people and entrepreneurs see opportunity to grow and make money. They are bullish about the industry. They believe in the idea of helping businesses by serving people over the phone.
These folks have been on a buying spree. Industry consolidation runs rampant. While this consolidation provides serious challenges for vendors and associations, as well as the publications that cover the industry, it does not spell doom for the industry as a whole.
Another thing we can’t verify is market size. Although the number of actual answering services is on the decline, I suspect the number of TAS customers is not. Even more so I speculate that the amount of revenue generated industrywide is on the upswing. Though I can’t prove it quantifiably, I sense that it must be true.
I don’t think the TAS market is shrinking. It’s just changing, and we need to change with it.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of TAS Trader. Check out his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
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Seeking to Acquire TAS: Looking to purchase an answering service or call center. Please contact me if you are selling! gm@answerally.com.
Equipment For Sale: Full CMC Cabinet with SCMC/TP (version 9.0) plus Dispatch Server, Voice Processor, 4-U SDB (the KVM doesn’t work). The lower cabinet has 14 DID/Loop Start cards and the all the standard processor cards to function. Components/spares include: 1 Data Multiplexer / OP Interface card; 1 Switch / ACD Gen card; 2 BICs; 1 BIC CPU Master; 1 BIC CPU Slave; 1 SWC CPU; 2 Power Supplies; 3 spare DID/Op Con Cards; 13 OpCon Boxes. Contact Andy at 612-490-7150 or etzelandy@gmail.com.
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CAM-X 2015 Award of Excellence Winners
TAS Trader and Connections Magazine salutes the 2015 CAM-X Award of Excellence Winners. The award is cumulative, with many answering services earning this recognition for multiple years. The complete list of this year’s honorees are:
One Year
- Newtown & Flemington Answering Service, Langhorne, PA
- Anserve, Inc., Bulter, NJ
- A Courteous Communications, Orlando, FL
- Prestige Communications, Inc., Fayetteville, GA
- ProComm, LLC, Seneca, SC
Two Years
- Bennett Telephone Answering Service, Flint, MI
- Nationwide Inbound Inc., Freeport, IL
- Call 4 Health, Boca Raton, FL
- Carolyn’s Communications Incorporated, Snellville, GA
Year 3
- AnswerPlus Montreal, Montreal, QC
- Combined Communications, Inc., Bowling Green, KY
- Infinity Telecentre, London, ON
Year 4
- Advantage TeleMessaging, Inc., West Reading, PA
- A Better Answer, Houston, TX
- A Better Answer, Hurst, TX
- A Better Answer, Plano, TX
- Monroe Telephone, Beaumont, TX
Year 5
- Callnet Call Center, Bloomington, IN
- Answer Plus, Inc., Las Vegas, NV
- AAMCOM, Redondo Beach, CA
- Commercial Telephone Exchange, Reno, NV
- Com Net, LLC, Muncie, IN
Year 6
- Ambs Call Center, Jackson, MI
- Tel-Us Call Center, Beverly Hills, CA
- TAS-PAGE Communications, Peterborough, ON
Year 8
- Always On Call Answering Service LLC, Concord, NH
- Keystone Answering Service, Levittown, PA
- AnswerOne, Brooklyn, NY
- Main Line TeleCommunications, Aston, PA
- Call Experts, Charleston, SC
- Allgood Communications, Inc. dba Executive Service, Professional Communication Services & NTC Answering Service, Pueblo, CO
- Dexcomm, Carencro, LA
Year 9
- Billie Clarke’s Answering Service, San Diego, CA
- Anser, Green Bay, WI
Year 10
- Scotia Business Centre, Bridgewater, NS
- Direct Line Teleresponse, Berkeley, CA
- The Legacy Connection, Tuscaloosa, AL
- Time Communications, White Bear Lake, MN
- Keener Communications, Inc., Richmond, VA
Year 11
- Answer 365, Halifax, NS
- Focus Telecommunications Inc., Eldersburg, MD
- Answer 1 Communications, Phoenix, AZ
Year 12
- Telelink, St. John’s, NL
Year 13
- Select Call Centre – Red Deer, Red Deer, AB
- Select Call Centre – Calgary, Calgary, AB
- Central Communications, Welland, ON
- Encore TeleSolutions , Barrie, ON
Year 15
- Kelcom, Windsor, ON
- Intercon Messaging Inc., Drayton Valley, AB
Year 16
- Alliance Wireless Communications, Kingston, ON
- Select Call Centre – Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, AB
Year 17
- Extend Communications Inc., Brantford, ON
Year 18
- AnswerPlus Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Select Call Centre – Edmonton, Edmonton, AB
- Connections Call Center, Squamish, BC
Year 19,
- IMAGE-24, Montreal, QC
- A.S. Communications, Belleville, ON
Year 21
- AnswerPlus Hamilton, Hamilton, ON,
Year 23
- SureCall Contact Centers, Calgary, AB,
Year 26
- @liveconx, Cornwall, ON
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Telephone Answering Service News
Startel and Professional Teledata Merge
Professional Teledata is now a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Startel. “We are very excited about Startel and Professional Teledata coming together,” said Bill Lane, president and CEO of Startel. “We are thrilled with the merger,” added Pat Kalik, president of Professional Teledata. “It is a positive development for both organizations, customer bases, and employees.” They both see this merger is a win-win for the two organizations and their customer bases. Jim Graham, Alan Hartmann, and Pat Kalik will join the senior management team of Startel to lead the combined company, which will maintain offices in Irvine, California, and Manchester, New Hampshire.
Advantage TeleMessaging Earns Gold Certification – Twice
Advantage TeleMessaging, Inc. (ATM) has re-qualified for the 24/7 Call Center Certification Gold Award, an ATSI peer review program focused on call centers’ ability to maintain 99.99 percent annual run-time. Advantage TeleMessaging, Inc. owner and president Drew Ritter said, “Earning the 24/7 Gold Certification demonstrates that high level of commitment to readiness to be on-line available for our client’s callers.” Mr. Ritter has served the Startel National Users Group board in various capacities including its president and in 2015 was elected to the ATSI board and currently serves as marketing chair.
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Quotes for the Month
“Silence will save me from being wrong (and foolish), but it will also deprive me of the possibility of being right.” –Igor Stravinsky
“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” –Madeleine L’Engle
“Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses. ” –unknown