Best Answering Service – Ruby Receptionists vs. VoiceNation vs. MAP Communications

Answer America is a pay-as-you-go solution. The cost is $1/call with no setup fee or monthly charges. The service is very basic. Receptionists will answer the phone and take a message, but there’s no transferring calls, filling out web forms or answering FAQs besides very basic information, like your hours and location

Customers have reported that the service is not all that reliable. Callers need to wait up to 30 seconds before the phone is answered, and then could be placed on hold for even longer. Sometimes the information receptionists provide, like business hours, is incorrect. Despite these flaws, many users enjoy the flexibility they get with a pay-as-you-go solution.

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Like Ruby Receptionists, Moneypenny is a premier answering service. Moneypenny is unique in that you get a single, dedicated receptionist that gets to know your business. The reason we did not recommend Moneypenny over Ruby, however, is because there’s little known about the quality of their service. Moneypenny just recently launched in the US and there aren’t many user reviews available. Also, while the pricing is about the same as Ruby, you don’t get any of the advanced services like form submissions or outbound calling.

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AnswerConnect is a call center service, similar to Map Communications in that they offer tons of advanced features like appointment scheduling, order forms, customer service help and more. One unique feature they offer is live chat service – you can integrate a chatbox on your website that receptionists will use to communicate with your visitors.

The reason we did not recommend AnswerConnect is because we heard some complaints about the quality of their service. One user in particular who relied on them for scheduling found about 20% of their appointments were made for the wrong time zone. Another customer said it took a lot of trial and error before receptionists were following their instructions correctly.

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VoiceNation has many different packages. The least expensive is the messaging service for $30/month. You get 30 minutes per month of receptionist talk time without any transfers. This means receptionists will take messages for you, but will not forward any calls.

The rest of the packages gives you the full answering service, meaning receptionists will transfer calls to you or your employees. It’s $95/month for 50 minutes, $130/month for 100 minutes, $230/month for 250 minutes, and so on. Additional time on any plan is $0.95/minute. There’s also a one-time $75 setup fee on all plans.

With MAP Communications you pay depending on the number of minutes you want per month as well as the set of features. Basic messaging, which means receptionists will take messages for you, but will not forward any calls, starts at $42/month for 30 minutes. “Scripted Service,” which includes call scripts, appointment scheduling and more, starts at $50 + $1.11/minute. To add call transfers, which means the receptionist will transfer callers to your cell or office phone, it’s the same monthly price but a little more per minute ($1.26).

The pricing can get a little confusing, but ultimately it comes out just a little more expensive than VoiceNation: $42 for the basic messaging vs. $30 for VoiceNation; $221.30 for 150 minutes/month vs. $177.50 for VoiceNation. There’s also an ongoing training fee of up to $100/month, but this only comes into play if you have overly-complicated instructions or require receptionists to use a program they’re not already trained to use.

Ruby pricing is simple. There’s 3 packages: 100 minutes for $249/month, 200 minutes for $409/month and 500 minutes for $819/month. The cost of additional minutes is tiered depending on the package, coming out to $2.49/minute, $2.05/minute and $1.64/minute, respectively.Ruby is by far the most expensive service. It’s $373/month for 150 minutes, which is more than twice as much as VoiceNation ($177.50/month).

MAP Communications can go far beyond a basic answering service. Receptionists can schedule appointments for you using Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar or Appointment Quest. They can take orders with credit card information, fill out web forms, answer FAQs and more.

By writing detailed call scripts, you can have receptionists perform customer service tasks, like helping clients navigate your website or telling them their order status. Unlike the other services, receptionists can log into websites (such as your CRM or HelpDesk) to retrieve information. However, this will require a monthly surcharge to cover the cost of training (up to $100/month).

Also note that if you do want a more complex service, you need to make sure your instructions are simple and straightforward. Because there’s such a large pool of receptionists, many will be dealing with your business for the first time. If your instructions are too complicated or tough to understand, it may lead to fumbling on the phone.

Ruby keeps things simple. Besides transferring calls and forwarding messages, they can answer up to 6 FAQs about your business and fill out 1-page web forms. Ruby cannot schedule appointments or take credit card information. One unique thing they can do is make outgoing calls. If you’re in a rush and need a message relayed to your clients, a receptionist can make those calls on your behalf.One key disadvantage of Ruby compared to the other 2 services is that they do not operate 24/7. Receptionists are available Monday to Friday from 5am to 6pm PST.

With VoiceNation you’ll get a typical call center experience: Courteous and professional, but reserved. User complaints were mostly lodged at billing: I did not find any complaints about the quality of service or performance of receptionists.Employees themselves left mixed reviews. Some report a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere, while others complain about poor training and inconsistent scheduling. Based on these reviews, it sounds like the quality of service can be hit or miss.

Like VoiceNation, Map Communications is a typical call center. Employees left mixed reviews, with common complaints being about the tediousness of following call scripts and pretending not to be answering service, but rather an employee at the client’s business. As a client, you can interpret that one of two ways: One the one hand it shows there is some employee dissatisfaction. On the other hand, it shows how closely they follow a client’s instructions.

Ruby has glowing reviews from customers, with many praising the friendliness and helpfulness of receptionists. Some have stories of how receptionists were able to help them in a jam, such as a receptionist who guided a caller to the office using Google Maps.Employee reviews were mostly positive. Most complaints were about the need to constantly be “perky” and “willing-to-please.” While this does show some occasional employee dissatisfaction, it also illustrates Ruby’s dedication to having a cheerful and helpful attitude.