Frequently asked questions

We hope these FAQs will clear up any questions. If what you need to know is not covered here please don't hesitate to contact us.

The answers

So what’s the main advantage of signing up for dmAnswers?

In a nutshell, ensuring that all your incoming calls are answered professionally, whether you are available to take them or not.

When callers phone a business - particularly in normal office hours - they expect their call to be answered in person. Diverting calls to voicemail when you're not available to answer them yourself can give the impression that your business is a small, unprofessional outfit, especially if a caller is using your main business contact number. Not only can this give a poor impression, with first-time callers voicemail may be so off putting that they simply hang-up, try one of your competitors instead, and never call back.

A poor or automated answering service equals lost business, especially on numbers displayed in competitive advertising and used in first-contact sales. Avoid the risk of losing business with dmAnswers!

Does dmAnswers complicate my sales process?

No one is as expert on your business as you are, and in an ideal world you would always be available to field enquiries. dmAnswers comes to the rescue at those times when you are not available, and ensures that calls are answered professionally anyway.

Instant call notification (including a short message and the caller's details) is sent by email and/or SMS, so you can respond to enquiries the moment you become available. Rather than slowing down or complicating the sales process, dmAnswers can help you to respond quickly to enquiries, while avoiding the risk of losing new leads.

Isn’t dmAnswers a little expensive?

A poor or automated answering service equals lost business, especially on numbers displayed in competitive advertising and used for 'first-contact' sales. For this reason many dmAnswers' subscribers prefer to budget dmAnswers as part of their marketing costs, rather that their operational costs.

If you have paid for a good ad with your contact number displayed prominently, or if you just use a particular number to field general enquiries, ask yourself whether you can afford not to ensure that callers are answered professionally at all times.

Avoid the risk of losing business with dmAnswers.

Can customers call my dmAnswers number directly?

No. A dmAnswers' number is the number your calls are diverted to when you can't answer them. When you signup for dmAnswers we allocate a dedicated dmAnswers' number, to which you can divert calls using any standard divert options. For operational reasons your dmAnswers' number may be changed in the future, so we advise you not to use it in advertising, on your stationary, or give it out publicly in any form.

Can I use dmAnswers with BT 1571 or my mobile 'phone?

You can divert calls to your dmAnswers service from any other phone number which supports a customisable divert feature. This means the service can be used with BT's 1571 (automatic call divert) feature, as well as with the flexible call-forwarding features built in as standard to UK mobile numbers.

How can I make sure only sales calls go through to dmAnswers?

There are 2 main methods.

(1) Use a dedicated contact number in sales advertising, and set up diverts to your dmAnswers' service to handle times when you're not available.

(2) Combine dmAnswers with the power of dmSwitchboard (our versatile 'virtual switchboard' product). Simply set up a sales department with dmSwichboard, and make sure that the last number tried when a caller is put through is your dmAnswers' number.

If I get a call I don’t want to take immediately can I divert it to dmAnswers at the touch of a button?

If you are using dmSwitchboard, the answer is yes - as long as you set up dmSwitchboard so that your dmAnswers' number is the 'catch-all' divert destination.

If you are not using dmSwitchboard the answer will depend on whether your telephone service allows you to specify the number that unanswered calls are diverted to.

I run a small business. How can dmAnswers help me when I’m away on holiday?

dmAnswers can help by making sure your calls are answered professionally, even if you're sunbathing on the opposite side of the world. Avoid giving the impression that you've gone AWOL, that you're a small business or sole trader, or that holidays affect your response times. Basically, you can avoid giving customers the impression that you are away on holiday at all.

What control do I have over how dmAnswers’ operators answer my calls? Can I specify ‘greeting scripts?’ so that they answer just how I want them to?

You can, but we strongly advise you not to. Each caller is unique, meaning that each call is best handled flexibly. dmAnswers' operators are experts in answering calls professionally, familiar with dealing with different personalities, and extremely good at getting callers to leave their contact details and a message - even when the caller is reluctant or difficult to deal with.

Since each caller is unique, we recommend that you let our operators answer them with flexibility, as this tends to produce far better results than sticking to a rigid script. Therein lies the advantage of a personal human answering service over voicemail.

Do I have any control over the kind of details dmAnswers’ personnel collect from a caller?

No. The standard dmAnswers service is designed to do one thing but do it very well. The operator collects the callers name, contact number, and a short message, which are then forwarded to you by SMS and/or email.

In the future we are planning to introduce optional upgrades which will give you more control over precisely what information we collect from callers.

How quickly do I get messages left with dmAnswers?

Immediately. Notification of calls (including the callers name, contact number and a short message) is sent as soon as the call is over, by your choice of SMS, email, or both. You receive any messages whenever you check your email or check your phone for new SMS text messages.

What other information can I customise when I set up a dmAnswers’ account?

None, on the standard service. If you have specialist needs feel free to contact us for a quote, and we'll see whether we can accommodate you.

dmAnswers’ personnel are told to give callers a time-frame in which to expect a reply. My workload and availability varies, so can I change this time-frame at any time?

We recommend that you respond to messages as quickly as possible, but give callers the expectation that someone will get back to them in a reasonably short timeframe (like the next day).

If you want to change the expected response time given to callers you can do so by contacting us on 020-7562-0040.

How well informed are dmAnswers’ operators. Can they be briefed to give out company details or information about the products and services we supply?

dmAnswers is solely a human answering service. The price does not include training operators to give out company details, or talk about your products or services. We're expert at answering calls, but you are the expert on what you offer.

What else can dmAnswers do?

In combination with other powerful dmClub products, such as dmSwitchboard, dmAnswers can form an important link in your company's impression management strategy. To put it another way, it helps you appear as professional as possible at all times.