FAQ

A Personal Answering Service FAQ

• What is the capacity of your call center … how large are you?

  A Personal Answering Service (APAS) is a mid-sized Call Center, processing over 5,000 calls in one day.

• Where is your call center located?

  Our call center is located at 1005 North Point Blvd. Suite 709, Baltimore Maryland 21224.

• Do you have any remote locations?

  No. All of our Agents work in our Call Center location,  allowing us the ability to monitor all calls to assure quality control and HIPAA Compliance.

• How many years have you been in business?

  A Personal Answering Service has been providing telephone answering and center services since 1985 and is a Woman Minority Owned business.

• Do you provide 24x7x365 service?

  Yes. APAS has been providing 24/7 call center service since 1985

• What differentiates you from your competition?

  We are a Christian Owned Company who cares about the quality service offered to our customers. Since 1985, A Personal Answering Service has taken pride in providing the highest-quality performance at very affordable and competitive rates.

• Do you provide call recording services?

  Yes. APAS records and stores 100% of its calls through our StarTel CMC, for quality control purposes. We are able to email a recorded call to our customer upon request.

• What is your estimated Agent Rep turnover?

  Our turnover rate has been below 15% annually over the last five years.

• What is your full time/part time mix?

  75% Full Time / 25% Part Time

• What systems do your Agents interface with?

  APAS agents are equipped with Dell Workstations and flat panel screens (17” – 22”). All workstations are equipped with Windows 7 and have Internet access.

• What telephony solutions do you employ?

  APAS employ Startel Call Management Center (CMC) along with our Call Center Server which interfaces with our Agent workstations. APAS leverages the latest in call center technology solutions.

• Do you have a backup system in place?

  In the event of a power outage our automatic generator will immediately turn on supplying power to our entire office. Should our T-1s go down we have analogue lines in place to handle our calls. Our Startel CMC has 24 hour Technical Support available as well as spares for any equipment failures.

• Can you provide me with a toll free number for my campaign?

  Yes. APAS can assign one or multiple toll free numbers to our clients.

• What workforce management solution do you utilize?

  Our Startel CMC  integrates with the ACD information real time and build historical information that allows APAS to project future staffing requirements in 15 minute increments.

• How secure is my data? Is APAS HIPAA compliant?

  Yes. APAS is HIPAA compliant, requiring all APAS employees be trained to protect the privacy of our customer’s account information, as well as signing our HIPAA agreement.

• What will I be billed for?

  You are billed for the base rate you select as well as the number of calls received over the allotted number of calls within your plan, as well as any outgoing calls and other dispatch methods such as text, email or patched calls. If your plan is based on one of our timed rates you will be charged the base and any overage time for the allotted plan you had selected.

• For timed rates do you roll up to the next minute?

  No, our billing system allows us to bill in six second increments. This means you will only be billed for what you use.

• Can I change my rate?

  Yes you can adjust your rate according to your activity needs.

• Is there a contract?

  There is no term contract; we offer month to month service.

• Are your calls outsourced overseas?

  No, APAS is a U.S. owned and operated business.

• How soon can I start?

  Start times are coordinated with your Sales Consultant and our Customer Service Staff and will also depending on the complexity your account requires. Usually we are able to have your account setup within 3 to 4 hours unless you have more complex information which may require 24 to 48 hours, provided all required account information has been submitted before noon.

• How does it work?

  Once your account is setup, we will contact you with the call forwarding number and email or fax your account information to review.

• Can I fax my on call schedule?

  Yes you may fax it to 410-284-3408 or email your On Call Schedule to apasinc@comcast.net. Please be sure to include your account name or account number.

• How can I submit account or script changes?

  Yes you may fax changes to 410-284-3408 or email your changes to apasinc@comcast.net. Please be sure to include your account name or account number.

• What type of payments do you accept?

  We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, checks, cash or money orders.

• When are invoices due?

  All invoices are due 10 days from date of invoice.

• Do you charge late fees?

  A $25.00 late fee will apply after 60 days if invoice is not paid.

• Who can I contact if I have questions?

  You may contact our Customer Service Dept. Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm EST at 410-284-9104 or 800-477-9103, or you may email your question to apasinc@comcast.net.