How Our Culture Benefits Your Business

At Answer Midwest, our mission is to serve and support our clients to help them grow their businesses. How can we best do this? Through creating an award-winning culture that attracts the best employees—employees that are excited to represent our clients and their businesses. When our team members are excited to come to work, customers experience a more positive interaction. So, what does a focus on team culture look like? It’s truly so simple, but has an amazing impact:

Following the golden rule. Although it may sound cliché, we instill this idea – treat others as you would want to be treated – into all interactions with our team. Since team members feel respected and appreciated, they in turn are genuine to the callers with whom they speak on the phone.

Compliment bonuses. In addition to preaching kindness to each other, we also make it a point to reward positive interactions with customers. At our staff meetings, we give out $5 for each in-depth compliment that our employees receive from callers and clients. We are at a point where we hand out thousands of dollars at each meeting, as our team members continuously receive compliments for delighting our customers.

Flexible work situation. Many of our team members work remotely and have flexible hours – both are practices we implemented prior to the pandemic. We believe that employees who are comfortable in their work environment are happier and achieve better results. For us, flexibility for our associates is all about treating our team with respect and understanding the need for work/life balance.

Our customers tell us that they are surprised by the kindness and respect they receive from our team – and it’s because we strive to create a pleasant atmosphere.

Employees are so much more than just workers at Answer Midwest – they are individuals who matter. Investing in the culture of our team had done wonders for our business and that of our clients – what could a shift to a positive team culture do for your business?

Your Culture Becomes Our Culture

When your customer picks up the phone to call your business, they deserve quality service that makes them feel heard. At Answer Midwest, we reach for one goal: connecting your customers to your business. Everything we do, from our on-boarding process to how our customer service representatives answer the phone, maintains that standard. As your supportive partner, we work hard to be a continuation of your company culture through two primary methods.

Team training and process: Training for our customer service representatives is specifically designed based on your business so it is relevant to your customers’ needs. We tailor our communication styles to match your own. For example, when our representatives answer calls on your behalf, they give a customized greeting that tells the customer they’re speaking with an extension of your company. We continually monitor calls to ensure the highest level of quality. Our thorough training process helps us seamlessly align with your business’s voice and vision.

The latest technology: Because we are a continuation of your business, our technology is always up to date. Our systems are state-of-the-art, with backup systems to ensure you have 24/7 coverage. During a call, a custom screen displays information about your business to the customer service representative, so they’re fully equipped to handle the customer’s needs. All call information is logged into our database for future reference and quality assurance. Our tech forward approach means we engage with your stakeholders in the same way you do.

We know that your business has its own unique culture. Whether you look to Answer Midwest for supplemental coverage, after hours business availability, or exclusive reception services, we want to be stewards of your company’s reputation when communicating with your customers. Our process is designed with that standard in mind.

Contact our team today to talk about partnering with us.

Answer Midwest Newsletter – Volume 8

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Answer Midwest Awarded with Coveted Top Ten!

WE HAVE BIG NEWS!
Answer Midwest has been awarded International Top Ten

 

We’re thrilled to announce that not only have we been awarded our 16th Award of Excellence but we ranked in a coveted TOP TEN POSITION.

Our team competed against answering services from all over North America and Canada and was recognized as the cream of the crop.  We know we have a great team, but such highly esteemed international recognition sure feels good.

 

Answer Midwest Newsletter – Volume 7

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Call Center Campout

Article courtesy of Advantage News

While much of Madison County was closed over the weekend, Alton answering service Answer Midwest was caffeinated and ready to keep area businesses up and running.

“It is simply not an option for a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a week business to close, no matter what the forecast,” says Jen Schulz, vice president. “We’re working so our clients don’t have to.”

With the goal of treating others the way they want to be treated, the company brought in lots of food, supplied a cot and blow up mattresses and set up a big-screen TV with Netflix so those who were working could have a place to step away and relax amidst the craziness.

“We know just how valuable our employees are to Answer Midwest,” Schulz said. “Everything we do comes back to our mission, so it’s natural that we would take care of our team.”

Answer Midwest was booming over the weekend, which is to be expected when most of the area’s businesses were closed because of the weather and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. They more than doubled their normal call volumes, taking thousands of calls for hundreds of businesses across the country.

Clients were elated to be able to let their employees stay home during the storm and know their callers would still be taken care of. The callers always appreciate being able to reach a person on the other end of the line and not a machine.

“It’s an era of instant gratification,” Schulz said. “At Answer Midwest we want to keep businesses and their clients connected, no matter what the obstacle.”

Owned and managed by the Tedrick family since 1991, Answer Midwest offers customers all over the country a wide range of telephone-related support services, from reception phone services to help desk, order-taking, appointment management and even dispatching for service calls and medical emergencies.

Visit http://advantagenews.com/news/business/call-center-campout/ to see the story on Advantage News

Answer Midwest Newsletter – Volume 6

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Answer Midwest Earns 15th ATSI Award

We are happy to announce that Answer Midwest, Inc. has earned the Association of Teleservices International Diamond Plus Award for fifteen consecutive years. 

 

“The ATSI Award of Excellence Program recognizes that excellence requires a level of service that considers the caller first in every aspect of the call. The award is earned by a company by judging the handling of calls placed by mystery callers against specific, member-driven criteria.” Says ATSI President Jeffrey W. Zindel, “Companies that earn this award are continuously focusing on delivering first class service to their customers. It is truly an honor!”

 

Independent judges are contracted by ATSI to evaluate message services over a six month period. The scoring criteria includes:

  •  Response Time
  • Courteousness of Rep
  • Accuracy of Call
  • Knowledge of Account
  • Overall Impression of Call

We are incredibly proud and honored to have earned this prestigious award for the 15th year! Answer Midwest takes great pride in our employees and their ongoing excellent service skills. Thank you all for your continued support!

Answer Midwest Newsletter – Volume 5

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Your Business and the Changing Seasons

The leaves are changing, the jackets and jeans are coming out of storage and the phones are starting to ring off the hook. Welcome to fall, the beginning of the holiday season, and the craziest time of year for many businesses. Myriad companies will enjoy record sales through December. The weather makes for a busy time in the plumbing, heating and cooling and contracting industries. The countdown to Christmas has everyone scrambling to purchase gifts from retailers and gift cards from restaurants. This is the time to be fully available to your customers or risk certain social media backlash.
This is also the time that calls for family dinners, holiday celebrations and weekend getaways. We all want to enjoy the extra revenue brought on by the fruits of our labor, but how do we also enjoy our family and friends during this spectacular time of year? How does one resolve both professional and personal urgency? You could hire an extra employee to be on call and watch the extra revenue slip through your fingers. You could spend time with your family by sacrificing excellent customer service, only being available during the hours of 9-5 and weekdays. Then watch as the customer complaints pile up and the referrals stop coming in.
Or you could try hiring an answering service this holiday season. Let the operators be available to your customers every moment of every day. Watch your sales and customer satisfaction go through the roof! And your spouse, grandmother and children won’t know what to do with all of the extra time they have with you.