Press 1 - A Look At Automated Telephone Support

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<h1>Press 1 - A Look At Automated Telephone Support</h1><strong> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Nick DAlleva.aspx'>Nick DAlleva</a></strong><br /><p>Everyone has, at one point or another, used an automated telephone support system. These systems are typically connected to a main office line or toll-free number associated with a particular business or organization. An example most people are familiar with is calling into a utility company such as the cable company when you're television is out. Others may remember times when calling into a tech support line and navigating through myriad menus and options to get in touch with a real person, only to be placed on hold soon thereafter. Less frustrating, many companies use automated telephone support systems in a less annoying way by giving callers the option to speak to a number of groups within a company such as the billing, technical support, sales, or human resources departments. Indeed automated telephone support is a very popular feature in modern businesses. Despite its popularity, the automated answering service isn't always executed properly. As we all know, when it is misused, it can be one of the most frustrating experiences you will ever have when using the telephone. When it is used correctly, however, it can be an effective and powerful yet simple solution for companies of all sizes. An effective automated telephone support system comes down to whether or not it saves people time and saves the company utilizing it money. The biggest reason why companies use this sort of method of directing calls is simplicity. Because advertising space or marketing literature can only reasonably support a limited amount of information, a company might choose to only offer one main office line, frequently a toll-free number. Because new customers or those inquiring about a particular business and the products or services they offer, the might not yet know which extension is appropriate. For example, you might be in the bookkeeping department of a company and a customer has some questions about their recent bill. Whereas your company might need to list a different number for each department, using and automated telephone support system allows the caller to navigate a menu and enter the correct extension for your department. The first time they call, they might not know the number for your extension but after hearing the system tell them to press a certain number for your department they will know. Many people assume that having an automated telephone support system is less than ideal because callers are greeted by a recording. For the most part, however, this is not a problem because most callers want the fastest route to speaking with a live human being. If this means first listening to a machine, then it is not an issue because of the relative speed a machine can connect calls. It is important to remember that for this sort of system to work well, you need to make sure that whatever extension the caller dials takes them to the appropriate place. Nothing is more frustrating than to lead a customer through a maze of extensions and redirects, only to have them end up leaving a voicemail anyway. This is why good planning and design is crucial. A great number of automated telephone support users have been wildly successful with combining this service with a live operator-based call center. Using an answering service along with automated telephone systems works wonders because it gives callers the option of deciding who to speak to, but if the contact is unavailable they can leave a message with a live human being instead of voicemail. </p><strong>About the Author:</strong><br />Specialty Answering Service is a nationwide <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net">virtual answering service</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net">small business answering service</a> provider. We answer for each client 24 hours a day and follow their instructions to handle each inbound or outbound communication perfectly. <p> Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Press-1-A-Look-At-Automated-Telephone-Support_27262.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Press 1 - A Look At Automated Telephone Support_27262.aspx</a></p>

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Keywords : automated support, call center, answering service,

Category : Business : Business