Answer Midwest Now a Part of Nexstar Network

Answer Midwest is very proud to announce our new venture with Nexstar Network. We are working together as a part of their Strategic Partner Program. Nexstar is a company that partners with nearly 500 top independent home services contractors. This includes plumbers, heating and air conditioning professionals and electrical trades workers. Nexstar was founded and is owned by members.

 

Answer Midwest’s goal is to give your current and prospective customers an excellent experience every time. We recognize the importance of the customer/prospect business equation and that they are an extension of your company. Our operators can influence a caller’s satisfaction by handling calls in a professional, knowledgeable, and friendly manner – just like you do during office hours. Our operators impress customers and capture prospects when you and your staff are busy doing what you do best to generate revenue. This is what makes Answer Midwest stand out, and thus, makes a great partnership with Nexstar.

 

Answer Midwest Receives International Recognition…AGAIN!

Answer Midwest has once again been awarded the 2015 Award of Excellence by The Association of TeleServices International. ATSI is the international agency that sets the standard for the industry. Our answering service has won this prestigious Award of Excellence for 14 consecutive years, from 2002-2015.

 

This is the greatest honor one can be presented within the answering service community. It is international recognition for the highest level of customer service throughout every aspect of a caller’s experience.

 

The process to evaluate and award recipients is as follows. A panel of independent judges is contracted by ATSI to evaluate. Providers are judged on courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients. The award is presented annually to the best telecommunications and call center services in North America and the UK.

 

Congratulations to Our Winner

Congratulations to Tricia Whelan,

Vice President of Lindell Bank!

 

Tricia was the winner of our iPad giveaway.  Lindell Bank is a full service Bank offering all types of loans, merchant card services, remote deposit capture, and cash management services.

 

Thank you so much to all who took time to fill out the Answer Midwest Survey. Your feedback enables us to continue to provide quality service. This also allows us to make changes to better accommodate you and your customers.

 

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Answer Midwest Newsletter – Volume 3

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Spring Forward

Looking forward to Spring and Summer, we would also like to focus on the many businesses that will be “blooming” in the coming months. Many seasonal businesses have a one-chance opportunity to get customers on board to sign a service contract for the rest of the season.  While not all businesses lose a full season from one missed call, every lost customer is lost revenue.

 

Nine out of ten customers will call a competitor if you do not answer your phone the first time. This adds up to an enormous loss of revenue if your business does not have the competitive edge of being on call twenty-four hours a day. Step into Spring with a plan to generate more revenue, to have available a twenty-four hour customer service department and to afford yourself more personal freedom. You can have it all! 

Answer Midwest Wins Best in Customer Service Award Again

Answer Midwest is very proud to announce our third win for Best in Customer Service in the St. Louis area. We would like to thank our knowledgable, highly trained telephone operators for their tireless work. We also credit our management staff for continuing to set such a high standard for customer service in our industry. This award, through St. Louis Small Business Monthly, is a special honor. We greatly appreciate our valued clients, friends and family members for their continued support. Answer Midwest will continue to provide the absolute Best in Customer Service!

 

Click here to see a list of 2015’s winners.

Thank You For Your Support

Today we want to send out a big THANK YOU to families of our wonderful staff. When the weather gets crazy our Answer Midwest team goes on overdrive working long days and lots of extra hours, so we can help our clients .  The winter storms in the east and south have kept us extremely busy with our clients working out of those areas. Not only does our team continue to step up to the plate, but they’ve received tremendous support from their spouses, parents, etc. as they’ve taken on more hours and return home exhausted after a long day. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

5 Reasons Your Business Needs Answer Midwest

The New Year is upon us again! Many business owners saw great increases in revenue, customer retention and call volume last year. The economy is continuing to do well, consumers are spending money and our heads are spinning from the chaos and long hours required to run a business over the holiday season. Although this should be a time when everyone is full of joy and cheer, the long lines at stores, waiting for service and excessive hold time on phone calls puts consumers on edge. The age old question is how do I keep my customers satisfied without hiring a team of receptionists and customer service agents? Answer Midwest has compiled a list of ways outsourcing a call center can keep revenue and customer retention up indefinitely.

 

1. An answering service makes you available to your customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. With 24 hour service, your customers can rest assured knowing you are there when they need you. 75% of your customers believe it takes too long to get past an answering machine and to a live person.

 

2. You can take a break. You can leave the office early if need be without fear of missing a call from a prospective customer. You can go on a vacation. Many of our clients at Answer Midwest have the ability to do business from overseas, out of state, from their couch. Your customers are greeted with a warm, welcoming voice and our operators give them the assistance they are seeking. We then get the message immediately to you, in whatever form you wish to receive it. Text message, email, voicemail, fax, etc. You have all of the information you need at all times to provide excellent customer care.

 

3. Our services are cost effective. The cost of hiring even one extra person can be overwhelming. With taxes, insurance, vacation, etc., imagine what you would pay to have a receptionist or customer service agent on staff 24 hours a day. Our services are a very small fraction of that cost, with equal payout for your company. Many business owners don’t realize just how affordable an answering service is. Give us a call to get a quote so you can see just how invaluable this service will be for your business. 618-463-2430

 

4. Our agents are highly trained to answer questions and take information regarding your specific industry. We work with you to create a template for exactly how you would like our operators to interact with your customers. Our conversations are always natural and professional. It is like having a customer service professional on site every hour of the day. This makes your customers excited to refer you to friends and family, knowing they are in good hands.

 

5. Repeat customers come back because they receive immediate assistance. They receive answers to their questions, a live person to listen their problems and immediate issue resolve. 3 out of 5 Americans would try a new brand or company for a better service experience. Be the company the customers run to, not away from.

 

80% of companies say they deliver “superior” customer service, while only 8% of their customers agree. Answer Midwest has proven our superior customer service year after year, and we thrive on helping our clients improve theirs. Make your focus on the customer experience in 2015 and see this year be the most productive.

 

Answer Midwest Employee Spotlight: Stephanie

Stephanie Oh has been a treasured employee at Answer Midwest for over six years. She works the very difficult overnight shift to ensure your business continues to run while you sleep. Very upbeat and well spoken, it’s no surprise that she’s wonderful at her job. Stephanie says she’s been committed to working at Answer Midwest for the long run because she adores the management and loves the people she works with. 

 

In her free time, she takes classes at Lewis and Clark Community College to earn her business management degree. She is also working an internship at a non-profit resale shop in Edwardsville. Stephanie has worked with the owner to develop programs for the needy and also for struggling college students. The store offers discounted or free business clothing to college students who couldn’t otherwise afford a new wardrobe for interviewing or starting their first job. She is also spearheading a program to gather clothing donations for needy children in an orphanage in Ghana.  

 

Stephanie was born and raised in Chicago. She moved to this area originally to study Photo Journalism at SIUE. She enjoys art, music, painting and photography in her free time. She has adopted stray cats and now is the proud owner of four cats and a dog. She is looking forward to visiting her family back in Chicago. We have been so blessed to have Stephanie as a part of our Answer Midwest team!

Scary Times Approaching for Retailers!

Forget the candy corn, Answer Midwest has the perfect Halloween treat for your favorite retail worker. With the busy season approaching, consider “Retail Rollover” for those frantic folks who are spending Halloween thinking about cloning themselves for the holidays.

The Answer Midwest “Rollover” plan lets you set company phones to roll over to a friendly operator if no one answers by the third or fourth ring (which ever you select). No more interrupting a customer or stopping a sale in order to answer the phone. We answer the easy questions, dodge the telemarketers, and put everything into an e-mail that’s available the minute you are done with the current customer. It is a delightful treat!

Call Answer Midwest today at 618-463-2430 for more information.