MAP Communications Review: Features & Alternatives for 2023
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
With more than five years of content writing experience, Sam covers office technology topics at Fit Small Business, including business phone systems and unified communications as a service (UCaaS).
This article is part of a larger series on VoIP.
MAP Communications is a phone answering and call center solutions provider based in the United States, offering lead qualification, appointment scheduling, and live call transfer. In this MAP Communications review, it earned a perfect score on general features and ease of use, while pricing and customer service garnered above-average ratings. Overall, we recommend it for small businesses looking for flexible and on-demand answering services.
MAP Communications Review: At a Glance
Overall Score:
4.07 / 5
What We Liked
- Round-the-clock live answering services
- Option to monitor call activities in real time via the account analytics platform
- Activation of the account takes effect within 24 hours
- Mobile app version of the message management solution available for iPhone and Android users
What's Missing
- No free minutes included in the base plan
- Fewer plans compared to competitors Ruby and VoiceNation
- Billing issues encountered by some users
- When you have fluctuating call volumes: MAP Communications offers a pay-as-you-go plan, which suits businesses that see seasonal spikes and dips in incoming calls.
- Engage with medical patients: The provider is compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, implementing security measures to protect sensitive information.
- Increase your presence in new geographical markets: It provides toll-free answering services, enabling you to serve a bigger audience without straining your in-house team.
- Handle emergency situations: The provider’s dispatch services enable businesses to respond to customers’ urgent concerns, whether it’s a medical emergency or water damage cleanup.
- When you need an omnichannel contact center service: MAP Communications’ live answering services are limited to calls. If you need to service customers through chat, text, or social media, go for Smith.ai, another reliable live answering service.
- Rely heavily on third-party software, like a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, for customer service: The provider has limited integrations with third-party apps. Abby Connect is a better option if you’re after extensive integrations thanks to its compatibility with Zapier.
- Make long-distance calls frequently: MAP Communications doesn’t have long-distance calling capabilities. If this is a priority for you, choose Davinci Virtual instead, which offers unlimited long-distance minutes.
MAP Communications Deciding Factors
MAP Communications is among the best providers of live answering solutions offering 24/7 services and a team of highly trained bilingual agents. It serves a wide range of industries: legal, medical, construction, home services, property management, tourism and hospitality, retail, financial services, information technology, and communications. The provider has three subscription plans, with costs starting from $47.
Best For | Small businesses that need a live answering service with a flexible, on-demand plan |
Standout Features |
|
Pricing Plans |
|
Annual or Volume Discounts Available | Not available |
Overage Costs |
|
Customer Service |
|
MAP Communications Alternatives
While MAP Communications is a great phone answering service, it lacks extensive integrations, a modern, intuitive mobile app, and conference and long-distance calling capabilities. If you’re after these features, the alternatives below are worth considering:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Companies that regularly host conference calls with clients and place long-distance calls | Organizations that require a feature-rich mobile app for customer service | Businesses that want their receptionists to easily adopt existing work tools through extensive integrations |
Monthly Starting Price | $129 | $230 | $299 |
Learn More |
If you think live phone answering services are not for you but still need a solution for handling inbound calls, RingCentral MVP’s auto-attendant and virtual receptionist service may fit your needs better. For its wide range of call management features, the platform is our top pick for the best business phone systems and best small business voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services.
MAP Communications pricing received a relatively good score since it offers a free trial and an affordable entry-level plan. The downside is that it only has three plans, offering fewer choices for businesses. Competitor VoiceNation has six plans: one free plan and five packages with monthly fees.
MAP Communications’ free trial lasts seven days and doesn’t require credit card information. The base subscription package has a pay-as-you-go model, which gives businesses greater flexibility when dealing with fluctuating call volumes.
MAP Communications Plans | Standard (Pay-As-You-Go) | Business | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Small businesses that experience seasonal dips and spikes in call volume | Organizations with relatively low call volumes | Companies that receive a huge number of calls |
Monthly Pricing | $47 | $177 | $296 |
Included Minutes | 0 | 125 | 225 |
Fee per Additional Minute | $1.37 | $1.30 | $1.28 |
All MAP Communications pricing plans come with these features:
- Toll-free or local number: When you sign up for the provider’s service, you’ll get a toll-free or local number where customer calls will be directed. The company’s highly trained agents will accommodate the calls, answer customers’ questions, and forward messages to you.
- 24/7/365 services: The call center team at MAP Communications takes calls all day and every day of the year, including all major holidays.
- Zero-cost message delivery: Receive messages for free at your preferred channel: email, text, digital, and alpha paging.
- Client portal access: Get real-time updates on messages and account management details on a secure online platform.
- Month-to-month service agreements: The services renew monthly, completing the 30-day period.
- HIPAA compliance: All sensitive information coming through the call center system is secure.
- Customized account: MAP Communications’ proprietary technology allows businesses to have an account and call scripts designed to suit their unique needs.
With MAP Communications’ client portal, businesses easily view messages and account details. (Source: MAP Communications)
MAP Communications Features
MAP Communications features are summed up in its three main services: phone answering, virtual receptionist, and call center. The company is completely based in the United States and employs native English speakers. At the same time, it has a highly trained team of bilingual agents fluent in both English and Spanish. Explore other services by the company in this overview of general and niche features:
Since it has all the essential services we look for in a live receptionist solutions provider, MAP Communications earned a perfect score on general features. Call routing is also included in its services, directing callers to the appropriate company representatives and teams based on the customers’ needs. With every call screened and conveyed to the right departments, the business maintains its professional image and enhances the overall customer experience.
Here are the general features MAP Communications offers:
- Business processing outsourcing
- Corporate answering services
- Toll-free answering
- Direct response call center services
- After-hours answering
- Call overflow
- Tech support and help desk
- Lead capture and qualification
- Message dispatch
- On-call answering
The agents at MAP Communications are bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish. (Source: MAP Communications)
Earning a rating of 3.75 on niche features, MAP Communications offers services beyond the typical virtual receptionist solutions. However, it lacks live chat offerings that competitors Ruby and Abby Connect provide. The niche capabilities MAP Communications offers include appointment scheduling and order taking. It also helps businesses create custom call scripts that align with the company’s brand and industry regulations.
Here are some more niche features:
Part of MAP Communications’ call center solutions is RSVP answering services, accommodating different kinds of events, from business seminars to charity galas. Its team of trained agents records participants’ registration details and processes payments if necessary. Aside from using premade scripts from clients, they can also customize scripts specific to your events, leaving a lasting impression on your guests and stakeholders.
MAP Communications provides emergency response and disaster recovery call center services, allowing your communication lines to be open during crises. With this, you’ll be able to answer customers’ questions and manage scheduled appointments despite your office experiencing power outages during heavy storms or staff shortages amid epidemic lockdowns. The provider’s round-the-clock service ensures that all calls are accommodated at any time of the day.
MAP Communications provides support for companies handling product recall questions and concerns. The 24/7 service allows customers to reach out at their most convenient schedule. To help businesses keep track of customer interactions and measure the effectiveness of awareness campaigns, MAP Communications provides detailed reports outlining key metrics, such as the number of calls received and the length of calls.
Allow employees and organizations to send reports of unethical behavior and other sensitive matters anonymously. MAP Communications’ compliance and whistleblower hotline services accommodate these complaints, reporting to you in a timely manner and facilitating a prompt investigation. The provider’s services are compliant with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which outlines auditing and financial regulations for public companies.
In this MAP Communications review, the provider got a 3.44 out of 5 score in customer service, offering phone and email support but lacking live chat. Its customer service hours go beyond the usual work shift, as it operates from 7 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. MAP Communications doesn’t have a help center, unlike its competitor Ruby, which provides an online repository of useful guides.
We gave [MAP Communications a perfect score for ease of use because getting started and keeping track of call activities are straightforward. Upon signing up for a plan, the account is activated within 24 hours.
The company has a real-time activity monitoring service, allowing businesses to see the number of customer interactions and reasons for calls at any given time. It also sends analytics reports that can be customized depending on the metrics your business wants to evaluate.
MAP Communications reviews in third-party platforms are fewer compared to more popular competitors like Ruby and Abby Connect, but most of the customer feedback is positive. Many appreciated that the agents picked up calls promptly and answered professionally. Others praised the after-hours answering services that covered late-night customer concerns. However, some users also noted billing issues.
Here’s a summary of the user ratings on MAP Communications reviews on third-party sites:
- Clutch: 4.5 out of 5 based on 13 reviews
- Trustpilot: 3.5 out of 5 based on 26 reviews
- Birdeye: 5 out of 5 based on 2 reviews
How We Evaluated MAP Communications
To assess MAP Communications, we checked reviews from verified users in third-party platforms and examined critical areas small businesses look at when choosing a phone answering solution.
Click the tabs below to see our evaluation criteria for MAP communications:
20%
Pricing
25%
General Features
20%
Niche Features
10%
Customer Service
10%
Ease of Use
15%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
We checked if the provider offers a free trial, a wide range of available plans, and annual billing discounts. We assessed how affordable the base plan is, giving more points to the provider for having an entry-level package priced less than $100. Providers that don’t require setup fees usually get more points as well.
25% of Overall Score
We looked at the features we think are necessary for phone answering services, namely bilingual receptionists, voicemail, and custom answering hours. We also checked if the provider has a mobile app that allows businesses to check messages and appointments easily.
20% of Overall Score
We considered specialized features like live chat services, order processing, and appointment scheduling. We usually give more points to providers offering custom call scripts.
10% of Overall Score
We examined the types of support MAP Communication offers, particularly looking for live chat, email, and phone. Providers with 24/7 customer support usually earn more points.
10% of Overall Score
We determined ease of use by evaluating the level of expertise required to set up an account. We also checked if the provider’s message management platform has an intuitive interface.
15% of Overall Score
We assessed the provider’s value for money and ease of use. We also checked user ratings to determine its popularity and added our expert opinion on its standout features.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
MAP Communications provides a wide range of phone answering and call center solutions for different business needs, from tech support and after-hours customer service to event registration and compliance hotline. These services allow small businesses to accommodate all customer concerns while enabling the in-house team to focus on other important aspects of operations. To see if it fits your needs, sign up for MAP Communications’ seven-day free trial today.
