She said she needed for us manage her calls 24/7 including scheduling appointments for new client consults, paperwork signing and other follow up meetings. Additionally, she needed us to ask clients to arrive at appointments prepared with the necessary paperwork, confirm appointments a day in advance, transfer court calls directly to her, and take messages for 'creditor' calls. We provided her with these capabilities. Over the last year, her practice has tripled, advertising dollars are not going to waste, and her practice is running with increased efficiency. She tells us, "I frequently recommend Alert Communications services to anyone looking to reduce expenses and grow their practice."

A friend of Giovanni’s, who had used an answering service for years, suggested Giovanni do the same. “I stalled for a long time, and finally, I started shopping online. I was surprised at how many companies offered services. I narrowed it down to two, and Alert Communications was the first to call me back.”

Giovanni wanted a service that also would be able to handle Spanish-speaking callers, and Alert provided that 24/7. “Many of my clients are afraid to leave a voice-mail message,” he explains. “They’ll just hang up instead. Those are the people who are much happier having a live person take a message. In fact, when I first started with Alert, clients would compliment me on how the receptionist handled their call.”

Every business owner knows that calls come in after hours, but it’s hard to judge exactly how many that might be. “I thought I had a fairly good idea of how many that might be, but I didn’t realize just how many came in, even though there’s some ebb and flow,” says Giovanni. “Alert notifies me about incoming calls immediately via e-mail I receive on my Blackberry, so I can make the decision when to return that call. And based on the call protocol we set up, the Alert receptionist knows exactly what information to get from the client so I can make the right decision with every call.”

Giovanni likes being able to view his messages via e-mail. Not only can he answer them and handle them quickly on his Blackberry, but he has a record of each one on his computer, making it easier to save and retrieve them as needed. “When I had no support staff a while back, I’d spend the first half-hour in my office transcribing messages from my voice mail onto my message journal and making sure I had copies of those messages in my shirt pocket. With Alert, I’m saving both time and money.”

Even though he’s now in a suite of lawyers with shared support staff, Giovanni continues to use Alert’s services and has one of the secretaries copied on all the e-mails Alert sends him. “This way we can discuss client calls over the phone when I’m not in the office. There’s no easier way to get all the calls, and they’re delivered in a manner and method that doesn’t complicate my day.”

In his recent office move, Giovanni kept his original business numbers and added a second number that has a different exchange . Since the system in his new location is not yet adapted to forward calls, he still directs most callers to his old number, which he will always keep. Giovanni doesn't miss any calls by doing this, because both he and the secretary receive the messages from Alert Communications.  When the phone system can support the forwarding feature, he will likely have Alert answer both lines.

“I really appreciate the versatility of Alert’s services. I now have two numbers that go to Alert, and I don’t have to worry about missing a thing. Alert Communications is the ‘reliable support staff’ I’ve always wanted.”

But no matter when they call, Leonard knows his clients want to be taken care of 24/7. "With Alert answering my business line, I know I'm providing all my clients a better level of care, and that's important to me." 

Leonard takes advantage of Alert's call protocols to effectively handle his incoming calls. "Alert receptionists are very professional and do a great job of managing Hill & Associate calls based on their importance," says Leonard. "They forward specific calls to the appropriate people and quickly send me a text or e-mail message about any other calls." 

Curiosity brought Leonard Hill and Alert Communications together, but professional and efficient service keeps them together. "I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Alert to others," says Leonard. "They help me provide my clients the best of care."

Don asked around about answering services and looked online. He found Alert Communications and was impressed with customer service on his very first call. "Not only did Alert answer all my questions, but I really felt the pricing was fair. Alert didn't require me to immediately commit to a pricing plan. Instead, they watched my account for the first month to see what my needs really were."

During that first month, Don also came to appreciate the professional image Alert created for his law practice. Prospective and current client calls were answered by knowledgeable and friendly receptionists who created the image of a large office, while keeping his overhead down.

"Having a live person answer my phone has changed my practice a lot," Don observes. "Now my clientele can talk with an Alert receptionist who immediately notifies me about the call. In my business, if I can't respond immediately, I can lose that client. Being able to get right back to prospective clients is the best way to earn their business."

Don gets his messages from Alert in both text and e-mail formats, a service that sold him on Alert Communications. He doesn't have to worry about missing calls after hours or on the weekends. "If people call a lawyer on Saturday, chances are they'll already have found one by Monday. Alert completely eliminates the middleman in communications and allows me to quickly determine if this is a call I need to take. Alert is indispensible."

Recently, Alert was able to assist Don with its Spanish-speaking service. When a potential client called his office, the receptionist offered to translate the client's message. "I hadn't realized they offered that service, but now that I know, I'll be using it a lot more often going forward," Don explains.

Don's definitely pleased with the Alert Communications answer he went with two years ago after moving into his shared office space. "I'm happy I can see what's going on in my office after hours and on the weekends," he says. "I know if someone needs me, I can get back to them immediately. I have found Alert's services to be fantastic."