Business Phone Answering Systems

It’s a dilemma that many small business owners face. You want to answer every incoming phone call as quickly as possible to ensure that you never miss a sale and are always providing the best service to your customers. However you also need to devote your attention to the day-to-day operations of your business. That’s where an efficient, cost-effective automated answering system or business phone answering service can be a valuable tool for any business owner.

Call Answering Systems from AccessDirect

Our fully featured business phone answering systems offer excellent call management and help you focus on your core business tasks. A state-of-the-art virtual phone system from AccessDirect helps small and medium businesses deliver highly professional call management services and project a big business image. The small business automated phone answering system comes with premium call management features to deliver a quality customer interface to every caller.

WE KNOW WHAT SMALL BUSINESSES NEED

Growing organizations face the unique challenge of trying to capitalize on opportunities while staying streamlined and navigating ongoing budgetary concerns. A customized small business phone answering service from AccessDirect can offer a number of key benefits to organizations undergoing a period of growth. Our business phone answering services are customizable, easy-to-implement and require no long-term contracts or commitments. Best of all, our small business phone answering systems are backed by our commitment to outstanding customer service.

Here’s what makes AccessDirect’s automated telephone system different:

We are an independent organization that can offer the personalized service major telephone companies can’t. That means you’ll deal exclusively with a single point of contact who can suggest the best products and services for your needs while steering you away from expensive purchases that won’t deliver a good return on your investment.
We can respond faster in an emergency. With AccessDirect, you’re not a number — you’re a valued customer. Whenever you need to make a change or have an issue that needs to be resolved with your small business’s phone answering system, we can correct it quickly, without a lot of red tape.
We’ve worked closely with clients of all sizes and have a verifiable track record of delivering on our promises. Check out our Testimonials page to read what some of our satisfied customers have to say about our digital answering service.

What Is a Business Phone Answering System?

An automated small business answering service is a virtual receptionist that efficiently receives and manages all your inbound and outbound calls. It allows callers to connect to your employees even when they are working off-site, during business hours as well as after hours.

What Does an Answering System Do?

The integrated voice response (IVR) feature of the auto attendant system greets callers professionally and routes calls to the appropriate extensions. The advanced find me follow me call forwarding system directs calls to alternate numbers including pre-assigned cell and home phone numbers.

Not available? The auto attendant system can also forward the caller to your automated, customizable voicemail box and send those voicemails to your email address.

Why Should I Choose a Business Phone Answering System Over a Live Answering Service?

If you’re looking for a business call answering solution, you have the choice between a live receptionist and an automated internet phone answering service. Both have their advantages, but keep in mind that automated services have more benefits for business:

Automated business phone answering services never have a bad day. With a virtual professional phone answering service, you never have to worry about a receptionist being away from their desk or worry about a non-professional encounter. Your business phone answering service always has the same professional greeting, even after hours.
More control. With a PBX business telephone answering system, you get to determine exactly what tone of voice and professional message customers and leads get when they contact you. You can also determine exactly which departments and phone options are on the menu and how they are presented to callers.
Fewer dropped calls. With an automated answering service, calls are answered promptly, even if you have high call volumes or if everyone is busy. Customers and leads spend less time being placed on hold and more time reaching the right department.
More staff efficiency. Your staff likely has more productive uses of their time than answering questions about business hours or locations. With an automated small business phone answering service, you can set up info boxes to cover basic details.
Virtual phone answering systems save you money. You may not have to hire someone to answer your phones, saving you money on recruitment, salary, training, and other employee costs.

Can I Update My Business Phone Answering System as My Business Grows?

Your small business telephone answering service is only a good match if it meets your business needs now and as you grow. Whether you suddenly need to add new departments, have new professionals on board, or want to offer new products and services, you want your professional phone answering system to keep up with your organization.

AccessDirect makes it easy to update your system with our automated phone messaging system. Since there is no hardware or challenging software to contend with, it’s easy to update your system when you need to. With AccessDirect, you can:

Add info boxes or change the information in your existing info boxes
Change call forwarding options
Record new greetings
Update extensions or departments
Add new users

If you ever need help, AccessDirect is easy to reach for assistance.

Automated Phone Answering System Key Features

Our PBX systems with automated phone answering service are packed with advanced features for real-time call management. These include:

Voicemail
Fax to email
Customizable Greetings
Call Transfer

Music on Transfer
Information on Transfer
Automated Answering Service
Call Forwarding

You can also choose to include toll-free answering service , so callers outside of your local operating territory can reach you without having to incur long-distance charges.

Affordable and User-Friendly Automated Business Phone Answering Service

The business phone answering systems we provide are affordable and user-friendly. We maintain all the necessary equipment and offer timely upgrades at no extra cost to you. When you invest in a phone answering system for your small business from AccessDirect, you’ll receive:

Free professional recording of your virtual answering system’s greeting
Customized business phone answering system set-up that’s tailored to the way you do business

The ability to tie your phone numbers and team together
Live U.S.-based call support

Product Pricing

AccessDirect understands small businesses, so we understand how important it is to keep costs and overhead low. Not only does our automated telephone service save you money by reducing reliance on receptionists and expensive, complex systems, but we also offer clear and affordable product pricing.

We keep the prices for our automated phone systems transparent, and we list them all on our product pricing page. Review your options with no pressure and choose the right solution for you. The price you see is the price you pay, with no surprises. The number of extensions, minutes, and features are spelled out clearly, making it easy to choose the virtual answering machine service best suited for your needs and budget.

Still having trouble deciding? Our How Do I Choose page asks you questions and offers custom recommendations regarding which business online answering machine solutions might be right for you.

Available Phone Answering System Solutions

A SOLUTION FOR ALL SIZE BUSINESSES

Direct Messaging

A single mailbox for both voice and fax. Receive your messages and your faxes via email so you can respond to your customers no matter where you are. Transcription of your voicemails helps you manage your business and respond to messages faster.

Sample outgoing greeting, free customization and free professional recording provided.
“Thank you for calling ABC Company. Please leave a detailed message after the tone and a member of our staff will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you!”

The Direct Messaging program gives you a simple yet powerful single voice mailbox. Any callers to your Direct Messaging program will hear a professionally-recorded greeting that prompts them to leave a message. When they do, you receive a copy of that message via email, with both the sound file and the text transcription of the message.

Your Direct Messaging program doubles as a fax-to-email mailbox, letting you use the number we provide for you as a business fax number, able to receive your faxes as PDFs delivered straight to your email. You can also send faxes through our web interface or our mobile app, making it easy to manage your faxes from anywhere.

Voice & Fax Mailbox – One number, multiple functions.
Email Delivery & Transcription – Easily read and respond to your critical messages.
Easy to Use – Manage your program through our web interface or mobile app.
Professionally Recorded Greeting – Your greeting will be recorded by a member of our recording staff, free of charge.

The Direct Messaging program has both a monthly and annual pricing plan, with $19.95 per month or $9.95 per month for a full year’s service up front.

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Direct Executive

The perfect single businessperson solution. One mailbox that can transfer your callers to any phone of yours, as well as voicemail and fax to email. Take your calls at home or on the road, wherever and whenever you need to.

Sample outgoing greeting, free customization and free professional recording provided.
“Thank you for calling ABC Company. Please hold while your call is being transferred.”
(the call is transferred. If no one is available to answer, the caller hears the following.)
“We’re sorry, but no one is available to take your call at this time. Please leave a detailed message after the tone and a member of our staff will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you!”

The Direct Executive program gives you a single mailbox that can efficiently handle all your calls. Callers hear a professionally recorded greeting introducing your company, and then the caller is transferred out to speak to you live. Calls can be transferred to a land line, a cell phone, or a VOIP phone number, sequentially or simultaneously, so you can take calls no matter where you are. If you are unable to take the call live at that time, the caller then goes to your voice mailbox, and you receive a copy of their message via email, containing both the sound file and the text transcription.

You can also use your Direct Executive program as a fax-to-email mailbox, giving you the capability of handling your calls, your messages, and your faxes all under one phone number. You can use a new toll-free or local phone number from AccessDirect, or use your existing business number.

Call Transfer – Take calls no matter where you are.
Voice & Fax Mailbox – One number, multiple functions.
Email Delivery & Transcription – Easily read and respond to your critical messages.
Easy to Use – Manage your program through our web interface or mobile app.
Professionally Recorded Greeting – Every step of your program can be recorded by a member of our recording staff, free of charge.

Try out our Direct Executive program today! Your program will be fully set up and recorded before beginning your trial, and the program is just $19.95 per month after signing up. Managing your business communications has never been simpler or easier.

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Direct Receptionist

The ideal small business solution. Present your callers with a list of extensions to choose from, letting them reach individual people or departments quickly and easily. Connect your team all under one number, no matter if they are working down the hall or across the country.

Sample outgoing greeting, free customization and free professional recording provided.
“Thank you for calling ABC Company. Please choose from one of the following options to route your call. For Customer Service, please press 1. For Sales, please press 2. For Billing, please press 3. This greeting will now repeat to allow you more time to make your selection. Thank you!”

The Direct Receptionist program has everything a small business needs to handle their incoming calls. Callers to your Direct Receptionist program will hear a professionally recorded greeting presenting a list of options to choose from, be that individual employees or departments. Selecting an extension transfers the call to that person or department to speak to the caller live, and if no one answers, the caller can leave a voicemail, and the extension holder receives a copy of that message via email with both the sound file and text transcription of that message.

The extensions can be customized to fit your needs, with Information Only extensions giving hours of operations, directions, a list of daily specials, or answers to frequently asked questions that don’t need a live person from your company to answer over the phone. Each extension can transfer to multiple numbers, hunting between them or ringing them all at the same time.

Multiple Extensions – Better direct your callers to the member of your team that can best help them.
Name Directory – Allow your callers to enter the name of the person they wish to reach, even if they don’t know their specific extension number.
Call Transfer – Take calls no matter where you are.
Voice & Fax Mailbox – One number, multiple functions.
Email Delivery & Transcription – Easily read and respond to your critical messages.
Easy to Use – Manage your program through our web interface or mobile app.
Professionally Recorded Greeting – Every step of your program can be recorded by a member of our recording staff, free of charge.

There are multiple Direct Receptionist programs to choose from, depending on the number of extensions and the number of calls that you need. With prices starting at $27.95 per month for a three-extension program, we will work with you to make sure you are on the right program for your needs once you have completed your free trial to see how the system can work for you.

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Direct Enterprise

The ideal big business solution. Utilize the same Direct Receptionist features and capabilities, scaled for the largest businesses. Work with AccessDirect to build a custom solution that fits your unique need, no matter how many offices and employees you have.

Sample outgoing greeting, free customization and free professional recording provided.
“Thank you for calling ABC Company. Please choose from one of the following options to route your call. For new inquiries, please press 1. If you are an existing customer, please press 2. For our New York office, please press 3. For our Los Angeles office, please press 4. This greeting will now repeat to allow you more time to make your selection. Thank you!”

The Direct Enterprise program is functionally the same as the Direct Receptionist program, but scaled up to cover the unique needs of larger businesses. If you have multiple offices all throughout the city or state but want your calls handled under one number, routing calls to people in each location depending on the time of day or the nature of their call, the Direct Enterprise program can help you manage and route those calls. The Direct Enterprise program supports companies with hundreds of employees or thousands of calls per month, helping their customers get to the right person quickly and easily. We can also custom-build a program to meet your unique needs.

Unite Multiple Locations – Bring together far-flung offices under one central number for all of your customers.
Custom Solutions – Build the perfect program for your business from the ground up, with our staff working with you every step of the way to ensure your unique needs are solved.
Multiple Extensions – Better direct your callers to the member of your team that can best help them.
Name Directory – Allow your callers to enter the name of the person they wish to reach, even if they don’t know their specific extension number.
Call Transfer – Take calls no matter where you are.
Voice & Fax Mailbox – One number, multiple functions.
Email Delivery & Transcription – Easily read and respond to your critical messages.
Easy to Use – Manage your program through our web interface or mobile app.
Professionally Recorded Greeting – Every step of your program can be recorded by a member of our recording staff, free of charge.

The Direct Enterprise options start at $99.95 for a twenty-five extension program, with more packages available depending on the number of extensions and calls your company needs. We will work with you during your trial to make sure you are on the best program and getting the best price for your needs.

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How Do I Choose the Right Answering Service for My Business?

Every business is different and has unique needs. AccessDirect makes it easy for you to choose the right solution for your needs, quickly and efficiently. Our How Do I Choose page walks you through questions about your business and needs and the features you require to make suggestions about the virtual telephone answering options best suited for you.

Just answer a few questions and get streamlined information about the telephone answering systems best designed to meet your needs. You can also Compare Plans to decide which choices are right for you.

Contact Us For More Business Phone Answering System Information Today

Learn more about the many ways in which a virtual answering system from AccessDirect can benefit your small business. Call us at 877-599-6500 or contact us for information on our business phone answering systems and other available small business phone answering system solutions.