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And the 2014 ATSI Award of Excellence Winner is Courteous Answering Service!

Our outstanding virtual receptionist and telephone messaging services win us another national award in the telecommunications industry, theATSI Award of Excellence.

Join A Courteous Communication’s staff as we joyously sing from the rooftops, “We did it! We won the award of excellence for outstanding customer service again!” We are extremely honored to accept such a highly coveted award and thank our team of outstanding telephone agents as they bring home the accolades once more.

So what’s all the hoopla about winning an award like this and why did we take such pride in this particular recognition? This award is focused on customer service aspects of the telephone answering industry. Business answering services around the United States submit their telecommunication teams to a grueling monitoring program that grades the company’s overall call answering services. The best of the best are then selected and given this prestigious award; telling the world that the winning contender can be trusted to satisfy your customers with all of their needs.

About ATSI | Association of TeleServices International

Founded in 1942, the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) represents 350 of the most sophisticated TeleService agencies in the world. ATSI’s sole purpose is to enhance the value of customer service in the telecommunications industry by intensely monitoring telephone answering services and giving credit and acknowledgement for virtual receptionists that go above and beyond.

ATSI’s Mission Involves:

1. Promoting fair competition through the pursuit of appropriate regulation and legislation;
2. Providing research into and development of our industry and its current and prospective markets;
3. Providing support services;
4. Providing educational opportunities and resources to address the challenges and trends affecting our operating environments; and
5. Encouraging and maintaining high standards of ethics and services.

The 6-Month Intense Monitoring Program

A Courteous Answering Service is a proud winner of the ATSI Award of Excellence because this program is more intense than just the monitoring of a “couple” of calls. Being a 2014 ATSI Award Excellence winner is kind of a big deal for a business telephone answering service! This Award is given to the few answering services in the nation that provide topnotch services to their clients. Throughout the year, ATSI’s highly trained mystery callers phone our clients’ lines to conduct a survey on our incoming call services. Their expectations are high and they grade us in the following areas:

Ring Count

How many rings does it take before our virtual receptionist answers the call.

Hold Time

How many times does a caller get placed on hold and what was the response time and return greetingonce the call is retrieved?

Live Answering Phrase

Did our Virtual Receptionists show a genuine interest and positive attitude to the callers’ concerns when greeting the caller?

Level of Telephone Customer Service | Call Control

Did the Virtual Receptionist guide the call with appropriate questions and did they eliminate dead air and confusion?

Level of Telephone Customer Service | Attitude

Did the Virtual Receptionist convey a pleasant and helpful attitude by his/her choice of words and/or tone of voice throughout the call?

Level of Telephone Customer Service | Manners

Did the Virtual Receptionist politely use please and thank you throughout the call; whileremaining helpful and composed?

Level of Telephone Customer Service | Grammar

Did the Virtual Receptionist use correct grammar and proper phrasing while eliminatingthe use of slang words throughout the conversation?

Knowledgeable/Confident

Did the Virtual Receptionist appear to be knowledgeable of the client’s business and personnel by giving appropriate responses and navigating the caller with confidence?

Voice Quality

Did the Virtual Receptionist enunciate clearly using an appropriate pace for the call?

Phone Message

Did the Virtual Receptionist advise the caller how their message would be handled and give the caller confidence that their concern, question or request would be handled in a timely manner?

Spelling of Caller’s Name

Did the Virtual Receptionist verify and confirm the spelling of the caller’s name?

Confirmation of Telephone Number

Did the Virtual Receptionist verify and confirm the caller’s telephone number for a return call?

Policy and Procedure Relayed

Did the Virtual Receptionist follow the message requirements specified by the client?

Close of Call

Did the Virtual Receptionist reassure the caller by advising what would be done with the message and did we leave the caller feeling confident that their needs would be met?

The Final Grade

Each answering service is scored on how their Customer Service Agents and Virtual Receptionists handle the above aspects while following the proper guidelines throughout the call. In order to receive this prestigious Excellence Award, all call centers must qualify in the top 80% of all requirements.

This intense six-month monitoring program allows A Courteous Communications to be more effective, efficient and helpful with all of our client accounts. We take great pleasure in receiving our ATSI Excellence Award because it validates our hard work and proves that A Courteous Answering Service is the best business telephone answering service in the nation. The Award of Excellence separates us from our competitors and showcases our strengths; exceptional customer service.

We owe this impressive ATSI Award of Excellenceto our dedicated and highly valued staff here at A Courteous Communications! Thank you to the A Courteous family for accomplishing such an exciting achievement!