The best telephone answering services charge by the minute. It's the most fair and accurate way to account for the work they do for you. In the answering service industry, this is known as work time. Think of them as your staff on demand where you are only paying someone when they are actually working.
This includes when the operator is speaking with callers, documenting information, and relaying that information to you. It also includes the time when updates are made to your account.
50 years ago, answering services used to charge by the call. This was before the technology existed to accurately measure time spent working for you. Nowadays, there is no guesswork, everything is tracked automatically.
Work time minutes accrue when the answering service staff is working for you on your account. It includes the different tasks that you may ask them to perform for you. Minutes are typically billed in 20-second or 30-second increments and rounded up to the next increment.
The following tasks make up work time.
The following items are not aspects that are not charged for as part of work time.
We’re big fans of utilizing technology to send information in the fastest and most secure manner possible. Can't wake up to a text? Use a text + phone call combo. Having the text and phone call happen at the same time saves you from scrambling for a pen and paper in the middle of the night. The information is already on your phone when you answer the call. This makes life easier and saves you money.
Other ways to reduce your answering service costs include:
Check out our 8 surefire ways to reduce your answering service bill for more details about these cost reducing tips.