Telephone Answering Service Systems

By Peter DeHaan, Ph.D.

Summer, 2004

Telephone answering services are by definition a subset of the call center industry.  However, while the greater call center industry has a history spanning more than 30 years, telephone answering service has an 80-year history.  In the 1920s, and the decades that followed, enterprising entrepreneurs began opening localized telephone answering services around the United States.  In those days and until around 1980, calls were largely answered when an operator plugged into a ringing line, client data was in paper form, messages were handwritten, and calls were placed using a rotary dial telephone.

With the advent of affordable computer technology in the late 1970s, a new breed of entrepreneurs, the technologists, began harnessing the nascent microprocessor to automate, control, and organize portions of the call handling process.  Thus was born the first-generation Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) systems.  Although primitive and basic by today's standards, they represented a fundamental shift in the call processing mindset.  These systems allowed calls to be answered with a single keystroke and a basic repository of client data would be automatically displayed on a computer screen.

Second generation CTI systems allowed messages to be entered into the computer, giving way to a plethora of distribution methods, including alphanumeric paging, faxing, and eventually email.  Today's leading-edge answering service systems are third generation CTI platforms.  These systems dominate the market, offering laborsaving automation, client conveniences, agent-assisting features, scripted call processing, integration with remote databases, and Internet access to web-based tools and information.  "The evolution of CTI systems has helped the telemessaging industry grow into a sophisticated industry capable of much more than just answering the phone and taking a message," stated Linda Osip, Executive Director of the Canadian Call Management Association.  "We have so much information at our fingertips that we can now act as a true representation of our clients to their callers."

Among the benefits afforded by these third generation CTI answering service systems, labor savings is a frequent and well appreciated result.  Jim Geary, the owner of Complete Answering Service, in Jackson, TN, stated that with his Startel 5700, he "was able to handle the same amount of call traffic with over 50% staff reduction."  He also cited "a massive reduction in errors" as another important benefit.

Tom Gelbach, owner of Answer Connecticut, in Newington, CT concurs with the labor saving aspect.  His center uses an Amtelco Infinity system.  "We are barely scratching the surface of its capabilities," he stated.  "We have found that in our dispatching operation alone we have been able to reduce the time per call by 31 percent."

Julie Barr, Call Center System Director at Banner Health, is equally enamored.  "With the help of Amcom's Smart Center, we've transformed operator services.  By combining independent call centers into one centralized center, we've improved efficiency, reduced operational expense, and enhanced customer service."

Call center managers of other telemessaging systems are also quick to applaud the features, efficiencies, and effectiveness of their respective call center technology. 

Please refer to our updated listing of the major telemessaging system vendors in the industry.

To read other articles written by Peter DeHaan, go to Vital Signs or check out his blog at blog.peterdehaan.com.  In addition to publishing AnswerStat and Connections Magazine, Peter offers custom publishing and Internet publishing (Article Weekly).  He may be reached at dehaan@answerstat.com or www.PeterDeHaan.com.