2008 Answer Center America, Inc. Posts Aggressive 29 Percent Growth and Seeks Hiring 25 New Employees in January 2009

Chicago, IL – December 29, 2008 – Companies have discovered cost effective call center outsourcing services driving growth of Answer Center America, Inc, one of the nation’s leading call centers, up 29% this year. 


Answer Center America, Inc. (ACA) today announced unprecedented growth this year, which has lead to a steady hiring stream of 5-10 employees per month, with current open positions for January 2009 at 25.

With more than 120 specialists on staff, ACA handles nearly six million calls per year. Given the high call volumes, optimal agent performance is critical in providing quality service experiences to ACA’s corporate clients. ACA hires experienced call service agents and trains them internally. ACA services include general call services, inbound call services, and outbound call services, with a broad range of technologies utilized; making it important that both new and current staff is continually trained. The fact that many ACA agents are bilingual – in English, Spanish and French – adds another layer of complexity to hiring and managing the unique skills and proficiency levels of each specialist.

“Last year Answer Center America identified a need for turnkey outsourcing solutions which provide corporations the ability to scale as needed from general workforce management functions to advanced help desk and sales capabilities,” says Mike McMillan, Director of Sales and Marketing, for ACA. “ACA has been working to add services which will help our customers thrive in a tight economy. Take, for instance, the cost savings of outsourcing help desk support. Our Tech Connect service allows for network, server, and PC monitoring and support remotely, and our Instant Connect service enables web chat. These coupled with our Ticketing System for inbound call recording allow customers to cost effectively outsource their entire customer service operation using a customized methodology. Our specialty service, Your Connect enables ACA to customize and virtually mirror the operation of a corporate call center, creating a total savings of 75% - 95% depending on call traffic!”

ACA provides a customized call center solution with full scalability, allowing room for anticipated client growth. It also allows call center agents to integrate with client systems and personnel. ACA utilizes technology, which allows for seamless integration with various telephony switches. ACA systems capture and analyze customer/caller interactions, improve workforce performance and optimize service processes. The system allows clients to improve service by scheduling the right agents with the right skills at the right time. ACA helps companies discover business trends, employee and customer behavior patterns, and ensure excellent customer service. ACA plans to continue to improve service offerings to meet the changing economic and technology needs of its clients.


About Answer Center America, Inc.

Answer Center America, headquartered in Chicago Illinois, is a leading provider of 24/7 call center solutions for optimizing employee time and skill sets. Answer Center America delivers high quality and superior customer support necessary for a remote messaging and business solutions. ACA is best known for its multi-layered security support system using state of the art equipment, highly trained professionals and dedicated customer service agents which allows them to provide customized, affordable outsourcing services.

Today, more than 2,500 organizations on 4 continents rely on custom solutions provided by ACA solutions to perform more effectively and competitive in their market. ACA provides a seamless extension of your business custom made for you. Visit us at our website www.goacanow.com.


Media Contact:

Michael C. McMillan
Director of Sales and Marketing
Answer Center America, Inc.
Phone#: (800) 270-7030
Fax#: (800) 971-2110
Email: mikemcmillan@goacanow.com
URL: http://www.goacanow.com
Blog: http://blog.goacanow.com

Chicago Businesses Can Take Advantage of Call Centers

The poor economy has Chicago businesses seeking cost cutting measures in order to survive. Using a Chicago call center allows for the continued operation of business while being cost effective. Utilizing personnel efficiently greatly increases corporate savings and frees employees to do what they were hired to do. Call centers are effective cost cutting measures during a down economy.

Succeeding in Chicago’s Poor Economy

The recession continues in the United States, and confidence is low making the future uncertain. Chicago is no exception to the economic downturn, and it is reflected in the downsizing of businesses at all levels. The occupancy rate of commercial real estate in Chicago is already low, and it is expected to keep declining, and foreclosures are looming in neighborhoods that were promising just a few short years ago. Chicago has seen the collapse of the major financial institution Washington Mutual, and is anticipating layoffs from Chicago-based United Airlines. Chicago is the headquarters for many companies, large and small, and CEOs have warned that layoffs will continue into 2009.

Some companies cannot afford to support an in-house staff anymore, and have already made layoffs. All businesses are seeking cost cutting measures to survive. Companies need continued coverage for incoming and outgoing calls despite any financial problems, and this is where outsourcing to a Chicago call center can really make a difference to the bottom line.

Chicago Call Centers Save Money

Chicago call centers increase efficiency in a company by offering low cost and high quality communication solutions. Using a call center maximizes the bottom line, and does not compromise the image a company wants to portray. A call center staff is trained to knowledgeably promote products, and professionally represent companies.

Using a call center increases customer satisfaction by giving a constant presence to a company and allowing more interaction with customers. Customers’ needs are met consistently and promptly, which results in customer retention and approval.Using a call center costs a fraction of what it would be to staff in-house. Studies show that when comparing variables such as call length, number of calls per hour, staffing costs, and administrative costs, outsourcing call center needs saves around 70 to 90 percent! Call centers can be used to replace internal staff, or they can be used to fill in during peak periods or after hours. The cost difference is significant also taking into account the need to hire, train, and supervise permanent employees.

Exactly How a Outsourcing Through a Call Center Saves Money

An average mid-cap company receives on average 40–50 calls per hour in their peak months, 20–30 calls per hour in their average months, and anywhere from 5–15 in their slow months. The national average of work production by a standard employee is roughly 45 minutes of each work hour (please note — 45 minutes is the high end of the scale). If you figure anywhere from $7 to $30 per hour for infrastructure costs & $25 to $75 per hour for administrative costs, you start to see what real costs savings outsourcing these calls can achieve.

What all this means to your bottom line is very simple. Once you have moved your current solution to a full outsourced solution we have found savings from 75% to 79% at peak months, 80%–89% at average months, and well over 90% savings in your low volume months. Then if you add in the “X” factor of if your higher “Worth and/or Skilled” employees are currently performing this function your savings can end up on low months over 105% and increase productivity.

What this means to your business in dollars and cents is as follows:

• Enterprise Businesses 2 Million +
• Mid-Cap Businesses 1 Million – 2 Million
• Small Businesses 250k – 1 Million
• Start Businesses 25k – 250k

The amazing thing is that even some call center companies can outsource and save money by using ACA’s model. This not only saves money, it improves call quality, and thus customer loyalty.

Many call centers offer inbound and outbound solutions as well as web chat, conference and Internet Bridge, email, faxing, and credit card processing.

Review: “Chicago Businesses Can Take Advantage of Call Centers” notes that companies’ use of Chicago call centers helps save money. Answer Center America, Inc. offers superior customer support and state of the art equipment to meet client needs. A cost comparison study is available to estimate the savings associated with outsourcing call center needs. http://www.goacanow.com

To What’s Next!

A Look Back at 2008 and a Glance at 2009

From the beginning of 2008 everyone knew that this year was about to be something really special. From the addition of the morning huddles to the new processes between customer service and sales, we were all amped for success. At New Years Eve Janet, Jeff, Stephanie, & I all toasted our standard toast, “To what’s Next!” Little did we know in just one day something important was about to happen.

The morning of January 2nd started like everyday here at ACA. All of management and support staff of ACA met in our morning huddle, we reviewed all the new changes for 2008 and wished everyone a good day. Nick Farrell and Mike McMillan first thing in the morning both got faxes with client’s paperwork; little did any of us know or imagine this was simply the tip of the iceberg for new accounts in January. In the weeks to follow ACA saw 58 additional accounts come in for new service. This amount of sales just left everyone with one exclamation, WOW!!

After over 20 straight days of 14+ hour work days in all departments February could not have come any faster. But even in a 28 day month sales was able to pull out 27 sales in that month as well, continuing the long hours of work.

But, even after all the long work days, and hard work of turning up comparatively, a small answering service, inside of 2 months we were able to get through it as a team. Over the next few months we continued having great growth in sales, and began to focus on improving our business processes for new accounts.

The rest of the year stayed consistent with a monthly average of new revenue of $10.000 for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd quarter. This amazing growth has led ACA now into December, and the close of 4th quarter. Wrapping up the 4th quarter, all of us in senior management began focusing in on the end of year number and all the accomplishments we have made. Right now, as it stands ACA has broken the record set last year of 22% growth in one year and hit 24%, we have added over 20 new seats in our 5532 location, and best of all we now employee and support over 120 employees. These remarkable achievements are a direct reflection of the hard work of everyone her at ACA, especially the agents as they truly are the life blood that keeps us all moving forward.

With 2009 only now literally days away, the attention of management now looks to what is to come. We once again are getting new processes put in place, building forecast models, cleaning off desks, and getting ready for what many of us believe will be yet again another record breaking year. So this New Years Eve when that clock strikes mid-night, please join the rest of your ACA team in toasting, “TO WHAT’S NEXT!”


Bio: Michael McMillan is the director of Sales & Marketing for ACA. “To What's Next!” tells the story of the struggles & accomplishments of Answer Center America, Inc. in 2008. For more information on ACA's services please visit http://www.goacanow.com.

ACA's Holiday Outbound Promotion

This week only ACA is doing something unheard of in the Call Center industry. We are offering client's the opportunity to run an outbound campaign with ACA for only $26.00 per hour and only asking for an amazing 10 hour minimum for projects. This is saving many businesses over $15 per hour!!

So if you ever thought about trying out an outbound campaign call ACA today at (800) 270-7030 for this amazingly low rate. This promotion end Friday, December 13th at 5pm CST.

All projects must be completed by January 1st, 2009 for this promotional rate. Restricts do apply, so please call today at (800) 270-7030!!

From Call Center and Answering Service

Preparing Call Center Reps for Selling Success

If you depend on a call center to handle sales and support, then you depend on the selling success of its reps. When reps are successful and motivated the call center will make a direct impact on your business. They will provide not only quality customer service, but if they are given a good sales strategy and proper sales and product training, your call center rep can increase revenue by more than 30%. Treat your reps well and provide the tools and knowledge, and they will be successful. This article gives some incite into how call center reps can prepare for selling success.

Areas of Focus in Training of a Call Center Rep:
•Improve listening skills.

•Techniques for building trust with customers and clients.

•Developing capability in problem solving and decision making exercises -all in the context of a busy call center.

•Methods to control stress, multitask, handle difficult customers, and manage complex technologies and changing products.

Establishing a strong foundation of interpersonal and communication skills, emphasizing verbal and vocal quality is essential for good telephone techniques for a call center rep. The call center is a professional business environment that is responsive to your needs and the needs of your customers. You want your customers to hear the confidence and self-assurance from each call center rep.

Call Center Reps Need Specialized Sales Training and Incentives to Succeed:
•Specialized training about your product or service enables the call center rep to be responsive and knowledgeable about your business.

•The call center customizes your program to fit your exact needs and your customer’s needs. Reps are told to sell only to selected customers—those with good credit, who had not received an offer for more than six weeks, who could benefit from another product, and who did not have a very difficult problem. In many cases, web customers are redirected to call center rep who can up-sell them.

•The call center emphasizes professionalism and pride. Call centers that ensure first-call resolution (FCR) rates around 80 % have much better success at cross and up-selling.

•Call centers can offer salary and bonus incentives to reps for sales.

Many call center reps are asked to cross-sell or up-sell customers on service, and you can even have your call center reps add an upgrade suggestion at the end of every call, to introduce a solutions-based selling approach. In fact, recent studies also show that some call centers can increase revenue by 25% from cross- or up-selling. However, care must be taken, because if reps do not properly up-sell, they can reduce customer loyalty by 20 percent.

Nothing is more important than the contact that a call center rep has with your customers. It is essential to the call center and you that they are given the right training, attention and tools to make them successful. If they are successful, then your business is successful. Have confidence that the call center is an extension of your business and that every call is handled by a highly trained call center rep. We can all be winners.

Bio: Linda Dunkelberger is a freelance writer and editor working on a project for http://www.goacanow.com or Answer Center America, Inc. “Preparing Call Center Reps for Selling Success” is about training fundamentals provided to call center reps. Goacanow.com is a call center outsourcing service.