8 BEST Answering Services for Small Business (2024)

As customer service is becoming more essential for every business, people are outsourcing better and better services that can attend the customers virtually. As a result, enterprises are outsourcing answering services. These answering services have expert agents trained in the sales department and can handle customers better. 

It is wise to utilize an answering service if you are a blooming small business. Small companies, particularly, have low budgets to spend on outsourced services. That is why they need to find the best and most affordable ones. 

There are many excellent answering services for small businesses. They have trained people who can handle many customers. Furthermore, these answering services can double as your contact center. So you won’t need a dedicated team. 

An answering service can help you save money on customer service and eliminate the need for dedicated people to answer phones whenever someone tries to reach out. The service takes care of it all. So check out the best answering services for small businesses. 

Best Answering Service for Small Businesses

1. Go Answer

If you are looking for a very affordable answering service for your small business, then Go Answer is a perfect option. It can easily streamline your workflow and take care of all the business accounts, even when the employees leave the workplace.

The service focuses on providing users with a personalized experience. This helps in building brand value and credibility. 

One of the best features of the service is that it automatically books your appointment with a caller based on your availability. It also provides real-time email alerts and text notifications for all business accounts. It also has a live chat feature for a more personalized experience. 

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2. Specialty Answering Service (SAS)

Specialty Answering Service(SAS) is one of the best answering services for small businesses. With inbound and outbound calling service centers, there are many options for small business owners to choose from.

Then the pricing is pretty flexible. So if you aim to scale their business in the long run, this is a perfect choice. 

The service provides live answering 24X7 for businesses. Then there are services like message taking and order taking, which help businesses grow. With support for Spanish and English language, this is a bilingual platform. 

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3. Smith.ai

Next up is Smith.ai, and if you are highly praised for AI technology and its applications for businesses, this service might appeal to you. With this service, you can get 24/7 live agents for phone, chat, SMS & Facebook. 

The platform specializes in 24/7 customer engagement for lead capture and client service. It can easily handle conversations with leads and clients who call, chat, text, and message your business. There are features like free spam call blocking, AI-powered call intelligence, performance analytics, etc. If you are a small law firm, you will love this service. 

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4. AnswerConnect

If you are looking for the best 24/7 answering service for your small business, then AnswerConnect should be on your list. The platform has provided answering services for over 20 years and has excellent field experience. 

Service options include live answering, 24/7 phone coverage, after-hours, and overflow coverage. Then there is the live chat option operated by real people to provide a personalized touch. The platform follows HIPAA rules, so customer data privacy is top-notch. 

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5. PATLive

Small businesses have unique needs, which is why they need answering services that could cater to their needs. PATLive is precisely the kind of service that could do that. 

One of the best features of the service is that you are only billed for the time when PATLive executives talk on your behalf. Then it also has an excellent 14-day trial period with no weird terms and conditions. So make sure to check it out. 

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6. Ruby Receptionists

As the name suggests, Ruby is a small answering service that caters to the needs of small businesses in education, finance, realtors, healthcare, and legal firms. 

There is no extra charge for after-hours services. Also, the setup is completely free. You can personalize greetings when a customer calls. This adds a unique element to your brand. Then it also has all the basic features like appointment booking, calls, chat options, etc. 

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7. PCMSI

Next up, there is PCMSI, and it is an excellent option for small businesses as they have fluctuating call volumes. If you compare it with other platforms, you might get some of the most affordable per-minute rates.

This is an excellent answering service for your small business with features like Live Answering, Appointment Scheduling, Order Taking, Call Transfers, etc. 

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8. AnswerFirst

For small businesses looking for the best pay-as-you-go answering service, AnswerFirst should be top of your list. The virtual receptionist can take messages and even transfer calls to your office extensions. 

This is an excellent service with real-time access to all call recordings and messages. Plus, there are no contracts or long-term commitments. It also offers system monitoring to track phone calls and emails. You can also integrate third-party applications like Zendesk, Freshdesk, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, ServiceNow and TimeTap.

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