FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I try all of your services for free before signing up?
We are happy to offer a FREE one week's trial of our answering services without any obligation or cost to you. We do require the week you choose to be a normal working week for you, however, with your office manned as it usually would be. Unfortunately we're unable to provide some of our services as part of the trial – the use of 0800 freephone numbers as an example.
What hours are covered by your Answering Services?
Our PA's are available to take your calls between 8.30am and 6pm during the working week (Monday to Friday). An optional, additional service is also available to you on Saturdays, when we offer service between 9am and 4pm.
What happens outside the hours you're there to take calls?
Outside of office hours, any call that is received on your line is routed to our voicemail system, where callers can leave a message which we will transcribe and deliver to you on the next working day. Your callers will be welcomed on to the system by a recorded greeting customised for your company. We can also automatically send you an email with the message attached as a sound file every time a call is received for you, if you wish. Alternatively, as an additional, optional service we can redirect all calls to another number for you rather than routing them to the voicemail system – perhaps to your mobile or home phone number.
Can I have my landline and my mobile diverted to you at the same time?
Yes, you can. You can divert any of your existing lines or numbers at the same time, if you wish (including telephone calls from multiple branch offices) so long as all calls can be answered in the same way, with the same greeting. Talk to us about our second line service if you'd like them answered differently.
Can I have more than one telephone number?
No problem – you can have as many numbers as you wish. We make a small, additional charge for each extra number you require and can amalgamate all calls across all numbers on to one invoice for you so that it is easy to choose the most cost-effective tariff for your needs across all numbers. And, of course, we can welcome callers differently on each separate number, if that's what you'd like. Some of our clients use this as the most economical way to use our answering services when they're running several businesses. Others advertise a different number for their business on their website, in business directories and on their business cards so that they can easily analyse the effectiveness of their various marketing initiatives.
Can you transfer important calls directly to me or one of my team?
Of course we can. Call Forwarding is available as an optional, additional service – we'll make sure the caller is transferred to the most appropriate person, and we'll announce the caller to you before making the connection. That way, we won't be transferring the caller to a phone that isn't going to be answered or goes to an answerphone, and you can decide whether it's convenient to speak to the caller or not before they're on the line with you!
Are you able to provide Information-only telephone lines?
Yes – we can provide Information lines so that callers can listen to your message and, if you want them to, leave a message for you. Note, however this service is intended for clients who do not require large numbers of callers to be able to access the Information line simultaneously.
Can you receive faxes on my behalf on a dedicated fax number?
Yes. Any fax received for you will be automatically forwarded to your email address.
How do your PA's know which business a call is being received for?
Each client's calls come in to our telephone system on a unique number. The system knows which number a call has been received on, and presents your company name on the PA's screen when the call is presented to them, so they know how to answer the call.
How do I divert my calls to you?
That depends which phone – or number – you wish to divert through to us. For standard BT Residential or Business (analogue) lines use the standard BT call diversion facilities. Similar call diversion facilities are also available to offices using BT the Featureline services. Most mobile phones permit call diversion/forwarding through their built-in menu system. Non-Geographic (NGN / 08xx) numbers need the phone number we'll provide you to use for your service to be set up as the destination number – we'll do this for you if we provide the NGN number for you. If you have a PBX in your office you may be able to divert calls yourself from your desk phone by using the PBX forwarding codes, although you may need assistance from your PBX maintenance organisation to program this for you if this hasn't been set up as a standard feature. Sound complicated? Don't worry – talk to us if you are having problems as we can help in most instances.
Can I still use my own business telephone number even though I am diverting it to the personal answering service?
So long as you can divert or re-route your calls to us from that number then yes you can.
How can I keep track of how much the service is costing?
Firstly, you have complete control over the costs because at the start of each month you can choose which tariff you wish to use for the month, and you can choose when – and whether - to divert your telephone calls through to the service. Then, because we send you an end-of-day report every day you'll always know how many telephone calls we have answered for you that day. And finally, if you ever need to know how many calls have been taken for you so far in this month's service period just call to ask – we can tell you immediately.
What type of businesses do you deal with?
Most of our clients are small businesses, and many are run from home-offices, but others are larger well-established companies that use us as an overflow service to ensure they never miss a call. Our clients provide a huge variety of products and business services, but all are keen to ensure their callers receive the best of customer service.
Do you charge for all calls you take on my line?
No, not all calls – we don't charge you when you call in to collect your messages or leave new instructions, for example, and neither will we charge for a reasonable number of wrong number calls, either. We usually charge for sales calls, however, as these have to be answered just like any other call and we also record them in our database (clients usually know how many calls they've forwarded to us, and we need to be able to account for any apparent discrepancy between calls forwarded and messages delivered – we'd prefer you didn't form the impression that we ignore your calls or don't deliver your messages!)
Can I change tariff every month to suit my business needs?
Yes you can. You are welcome to change tariff from one month to the next, up or down the scale, depending on what you think your business needs will be. Call us to discuss your requirements a few days before your monthly billing date and we'll be happy to listen, offer advice, and switch you to the package best meeting your needs for the month ahead.
How do you send me my messages – and can you send them to me immediately?
We can send you your messages by email, fax or SMS text-to- mobile, and you'll receive a summary of all messages taken during a day at the end of each day, by email or fax. For messages being sent during the day we despatch them all as quickly as possible. Where necessary we will prioritise messages and even telephone you to make sure you have received a message where the importance and urgency is obvious. We may also telephone you to deliver a message in person where we feel the sensitivity of the subject warrants it.
If I cannot respond to a message immediately, or need to let somebody know I'm running late - could you contact my customer for me?
Yes we can make calls on your behalf. We'll announce ourselves as a member of your staff and relay any message as necessary. We'll enter the details of any such calls on to our database and they will count as calls taken for you.
Do I have to sign up for a contracted period of time?
For our monthly subscription services we ask clients to sign up for a minimum period of just three months. If you only want to use the answering service for a few days (perhaps whilst you are away on holiday) we can also provide services on a very flexible per-day basis.
If I run a Recruitment or Sales campaign can you send out Application Forms and Literature for me?
Yes – please call us to discuss your requirements and we'll quote for the work.
I'm setting up a new business – can you help with this?
Yes. As well as providing you with an answering service we can help with many other services that will be very useful in helping you get established. We can also recommend the services of many other companies we use or provide services for that may be of interest to you. Let us know what you're looking for and we'll happily help you where we can.
When I go on holiday what happens to my messages?
We can continue delivering them as normal if you wish, or deliver them to a colleague or locum you've nominated – or we can hold them all until you return: the choice is yours! Do let us know what to say to your callers, though, as they'll need to know when somebody will be responding to the messages they leave with us.
How long will it take to set my service up?
We normally aim to have all services set up for you within 24 hours – but a basic answering service can be set up for you within the hour if your need is that urgent. It will take a little longer for our team of PA's to become fully familiar with all of your details, requirements and preferred ways of working, however: starting to use an answering service is a bit like having a new member of staff start work in your office.
Can I provide copies of my literature and my own list of FAQ's for your PA's to use?
This would be very welcome and would help our PA's familiarise themselves with your requirements and ways of working.
Do your PA's work from on-screen scripts?
Because we are not a campaign-structured call centre answering one type of call for just one client it is not practical for our PA's to work from on-screen scripts – and we believe that working without a script allows us to have a more natural conversation with the caller as well. We do however work from "prompt-sheets" where necessary to make sure we remember to ask the caller for all the required pieces of information.
What happens if I am dissatisfied with any aspect of the service?
If we do something you like then let us know, and we'll do things that way again for you. If we do something and you'd prefer we did it differently next time then again, please let us know and we can discuss the issue with you to see what can be done to change and improve things for you.
The number you've given me in a message seems to be wrong: what can you do about it?
Mistakes can happen - not least because callers don't always give us the number correctly! However, we can help in many instances: we take handwritten notes as we speak to each caller, and we can refer back to these if the number entered in to the database appears to be incorrect. Our telephone system also records the CLI (Calling Line Identifier) - the source of the phone call - for each call received, so as long as the caller hasn't WITHHELD their number or called via a diverted PBX number we can usually refer back to this as well. Finally, we can search our database to see if the caller (or perhaps somebody from the same organisation) has called and left a valid number on a previous occassion.
You're more expensive that some Answering Services I've seen: why is that?
Simply, we provide a very bespoke personalised service to a number of clients each receiving relatively low number of calls. This means our staff process fewer calls than is possible in a large call centre where teams of people answer calls on a campaign basis and only need to know about one or two types of call for the client they're assigned to this week.
How do I pay for my services?
We'll send you an itemised VAT invoice for all services. Payments may then be charged to your credit/debit card (most card types accepted) or you may pay by bank transfer.
Can you re-send one of my old messages?
Just give us a call and we'll search the database for the lost message. If you need one or more complete day's messages sent again we'll happily do that for you as well.
If I use one of your telephone numbers, can I take it with me if I cancel the service?
It is usually possible for you to continue subscribing to a Non-Geographic (08xx) Number if you wish to discontinue the use of our answering services – just let us know the phone number you'd like calls coming in on the NGN number to be routed to. Unfortunately it is not possible for you to continue use of any "local" (01908) number we may provide you with as these will be from a block of Direct Dial Inwards (DDI) numbers we use on our telephone system and they are not individually transferable.
Can you manage a Diary on my behalf? And how does that work?
We offer an on-line diary management system to our Telephone Answering clients that allows you and all of our PA's to view and update one diary simultaneously thus avoiding double-bookings and other such problems. We see any change you might make in the diary, and you'll see the entries we make on your behalf. Our diary service is used extensively by small private-practice businesses (e.g. osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists) to book appointments for their patients, but it has also been used by a variety of other small business ventures including hotel room bookings, party entertainers and soft-furnishing fitters.
How long have you been in business?
We have been providing telephone answering services from the Milton Keynes area since 1998. We re-branded as Star21 in mid-2008.
Can I sign up for your services on-line?
Unfortunately not, as we find most potential clients prefer to speak to us before signing up for service, and we in turn prefer to speak with our clients before starting to provide service for them. We provide a bespoke, personal service and can only do this once we've had an opportunity to speak to you about your business, your requirements and your callers. The more information we have the better job we will be able to do for you. Also, many clients won't have used an answering service before, and we can offer advice and constructive comment as to how to get the best from the service. We'd like to think we're starting a long-term partnership with you to the point that you'll consider Star21 to be an extension of your own office.
Will customers know I'm using an answering service?
They might do if you tell them – or if they've visited you and know exactly how many desks you have in your office! A trained ear may also detect your calls are being forwarded before they ring in our office. Otherwise, with our PA's answering your calls in your business name, using exactly the same greeting that your in-house staff use and having a good knowledge of your business it will be very difficult to tell. We fortunately experience a low rate of staff turnover, and great emphasis is placed on recruiting the right staff in the first place, so callers will very often be speaking to the same person the next time they call! We provide our PA's with first class training and then ensure a high level of quality is maintained through strict procedural and supervisory controls.
Are the people in the pictures on your website really your staff and clients?
Ah - caught us out on that one! No, they aren't. The website pictures have been chosen to be representative of the attitudes we look for in our staff, the variety in types of businesses our clients have and the circumstances our clients operate in which make our services of such use to them.
Can I come to your offices and meet you?
Of course! We'd be happy to arrange a visit to our offices for you, but we do ask that we arrange this for a mutually convenient time. There are peaks-and-troughs in our working day and we'll want to make sure we're able to spend time talking with you and answering your questions as well as letting you see how it all works.
Do you meet all of your clients?
As much as we enjoy meeting our clients we only meet them if it is practical to do so. We have clients all over the UK and location doesn't make any difference to how we provide our services, as much of our communication is made by phone and email. That said, we love to see our clients in person when the opportunity arises.
Can I speak to some of your existing clients?
Of course! We'll happily put you in touch with some of them so that you can discuss their experiences of using our services first-hand. As a courtesy we'd like to let them know to expect a call from you in advance: that way you can avoid calling when they've got their telephone diverted to our office. Also, they're more likely to be open with you about their experiences if you've been "introduced" first - not everybody welcomes unsolicited phone calls from people they don't know!