Of Course…The Answering Service Industry is Still Alive

Lily Tomlin as Ernestine, A Telephone Operator
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)

Yesterday someone said to me, "you must not have much to do at the answering service anymore with cell phones and call forwarding…" 

Well, let’s just say the days of an answering service are not over. Not even close… just the dress code and devices have changed. The answering service industry is constantly evolving, expanding and focused on digital transformation.

We do more than just answer phones. Intercon Messaging specializes in answering services, equipment alarm monitoring, lone worker monitoring and emergency dispatch solutions.

We take calls from anyone, anywhere, anytime. Interestingly enough, people still want and appreciate a live answer. Now, maybe more than ever. When our team answers a call, we are often greeted by a caller that gasps and says, "well, that was fast… and I didn't even have to choose an option to talk to someone…"

Each team member is someone that callers can communicate with, someone who cares and… yes, even someone they can speak to crossly. Our agents will listen and provide the opportunity to see that their problem gets fixed. Or, if they are unable to assist, our agents can refer them to someone willing and able to help them resolve their issue. 

Our clients know that hiring an answering service for hundreds of dollars a month is an economical and resourceful solution that replaces or supports the 9-5 remote receptionist or administrative professional and includes the added benefit of 24/7 accessibility. If you want your phone, emails, or chats answered 168 hours a week or 8760 hours per year (8784 in a leap year), the most cost-effective way to do that is with a contact centre. 

Intercon Messaging bought an answering service in 1996, and by 1998 we moved to a digital telephony system. Technology is continuously advancing, and there are many moving parts when it comes to delivering customer service and reliable monitoring solutions. Our business has always been known for deploying the latest technology, the foundation of our five-star customer service. Currently, we are in the process of moving to the most recent cloud-based technology to serve our clients better. We look forward to deploying additional options to process communications accurately and deliver messages instantly.

Over the last 27 years, Intercon Messaging has served clients in every industry… and still does. Our clients count on us as their 24/7 outsourced dispatch and monitoring center. As their vendor partner, we maximize the uptime of facilities, critical processes and customer service operations. 

You might be a company that provides 24/7 service on demand. You might have people on the road or who work alone. Or, you might have critical processes and equipment that can't be down. Regardless of your industry, if staying connected with your customers, infrastructure and employees is essential to your business, we are here to help.

With the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X) benchmarking programs, the Award of Excellence, the Award of Distinction and the Award of Excellence Plus make the level and consistency of our service… remarkable. Intercon started entering these awards programs in 1998 and today has more than 20 consecutive years of award-winning service. And not only that! We have a fantastic group of people. Many have years of service, ready and able to take your calls, dispatch alarms or monitor remote workers any time, day or night. With the most advanced answering service technology available, we have a solution for everyone.

Based on the volume of calls we handle daily, we know and guarantee that your clients are grateful for the gift of speaking to a live person. Our people are immersed in the diversity of our client base, and at any time, any one of them could leave this office and work as a dispatch or administrative professional at any business.   

Yes… text, email, voicemail and mobile apps work, but they can't demonstrate the understanding, empathy or compassion that an agent can. A heart emoji will never replace the kindness, patience and experience of talking to a person.

Human input can go a long way in understanding service expectations and customer needs in a world driven by automation and artificial intelligence.