Help with business answer phone..

robert_harper_2000

I am looking to get an answer phone type facility for my work phone.
Where we are so busy at my work place the phone doesn't always get answered and instead of the customer just hearing a ringing i would like some kind of facility that when we don't answer the phone after a certain amount of time I would like some kind of answer phone to kick in and say something like:
"Sorry we are unable to take your call right now. Our opening hours are from 9 - 5" etc.

Preferably without giving the customer the chance to leave a message, as I feel it would get quite messy.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards

Rob

456789

Some answer phones will have an 'answer only' facility so they play the message and hang up

bookduck

you mean a bit like a dual tape answerphone without the second tape left in?

Or a message saying that 'this phone does not record messages' or 'no messages will be recorded after the bleep'

To be honest most of the old modem software that came with 56k voice modems did this.

robert_harper_2000

Yeah, I mean I literally just want it to be an information message for when we are too busy to answer the phone. Just to say our opening hours and then hang up.

robert_harper_2000

http://www.telephonesonline.co.uk/details.asp?prodID=224&title= Will this do the trick.

bookduck

yes, it would work. It has an 'answer only facility', but is out of stock

robert_harper_2000

bookduck wrote: »

yes, it would work. It has an 'answer only facility', but is out of stock

Yeah just saw that! Damn lol was the cheapest I could find it and had cashback!!

Typical lol

Thanks for your help and advice :beer:

LittleVoice

robert_harper_2000 wrote: »

Where we are so busy at my work place the phone doesn't always get answered and instead of the customer just hearing a ringing i would like some kind of facility that when we don't answer the phone after a certain amount of time I would like some kind of answer phone to kick in and say something like:
"Sorry we are unable to take your call right now. Our opening hours are from 9 - 5" etc.

May I say that I always find it annoying to pay for a call (ie the connection is made) at say 10.45 am and get a recorded announcement telling me the office is open from 9 am to 5 pm (that is including the time I am calling) but they can't be bothered to deal with my call. I become an ex customer.

bookduck

LittleVoice wrote: »

May I say that I always find it annoying to pay for a call (ie the connection is made) at say 10.45 am and get a recorded announcement telling me the office is open from 9 am to 5 pm (that is including the time I am calling) but they can't be bothered to deal with my call. I become an ex customer.

He has not told you it is an 0870 number and that all he plays back is an engaged tone - only joking

Yes, I do not call back if I'm calling between 9-5 if there is a message is there that tells me their opening times.

Snuggles

LittleVoice wrote: »

May I say that I always find it annoying to pay for a call (ie the connection is made) at say 10.45 am and get a recorded announcement telling me the office is open from 9 am to 5 pm (that is including the time I am calling) but they can't be bothered to deal with my call. I become an ex customer.

I agree completely.

OP, why would you want to irritate callers in this way? I would much rather my call was unanswered, rather than get a pointless message telling me the office is open. What use is that to me if no one is answering the damn phone?! See it's annoying me just thinking about it!

whitewing

I think it is perfectly acceptable to let customers leave a message (if you are a small company) AND you ring back.

If I couldn't leave a message and the phone doesn't get answered in office hours then you would lose my custom.

Always worth explaining to new customers informally that you have to take this approach too.

I work from home -which people don't always realise - and can get calls at any time, so my new customers accept that I do screen calls at times but I will call them back appropriately. And they are totally fine with this.