Question 1

What all can you do besides answer the phone?

Accepted Answer

When we say we offer full-service support, we mean it. Our revolutionary business model is designed to take care of every administrative, and back-office aspect of your business. We typically start by answering phones, text messages, web chats and emails because that’s where most small businesses are losing opportunities to contact customers and convert leads into sales, inhibiting their growth potential.
 
Next, we'll move into other administrative roles such as website design and maintenance, social media management and advertising, funnel creation, CRM management, technology management and more. There's really no limit to what we can do vs. a full-time staff (and beyond!)

Question 2

Will you answer on weekends and holidays?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Phones can be routed 7 days/week, 365 days per year. Our live agent answering hours are Mon-Fri, 6am-7pm MST, and Sat/Sun, 6am-6pm MST, with IVR routing outside of these hours (where callers can select to connect to a technician for an emergency, leave a message to be returned the next morning or use an AI receptionist) and on Christmas/Thanksgiving day.

Question 3

What industries do you specialize in serving?

Accepted Answer

We were created by small business owners, for small business owners. Specifically, the trade services. We cater to any self employed professional or small business, but we work best with those teams of 1-50 employees who have grown to a point where they NEED a part time or full-time receptionist, but don’t want to have to hire, train, manage, insure, and pay for a full-time employee. Since we are a fraction of the cost, we are a great fit for those businesses to help bridge that gap and grow to a point where they’re in a comfortable position to hire a full-time employee later on, in which case we still service their customers after-hours.
 
Our main industries are HVAC, plumbers, electricians, hair stylists, massage therapists, cleaning companies, web designers, printers, pressure washers, personal trainers, window replacers, contractors, builders, disaster cleanup companies, restaurant owners (not the restaurant itself), chiropractors, law firms, attorney groups, dental service operations,  micro-gyms and fitness centers,  butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, etc. Anyone who, when working with their hands or meeting with people, can’t, wont or shouldn’t be answering their phone.

Question 4

What areas do you service?

Accepted Answer

We service businesses anywhere in the United States and Canada who receive calls from the US and Canada.

Question 5

Can you handle my texts/FB Messages?

Accepted Answer

We partner with a software company called Chiirp to answer texts and Facebook messages. Chiirp integrates with many CRMs, including Housecall Pro, to make the texting seamless. If you sign up through us, you'll even get a discount!

Question 6

What makes Service Center Pro different than any other virtual office service?

Accepted Answer

LOCATION 
All of our agents are located in the United States and we do not subcontract with any other call centers in any other countries. This means your callers will be able to clearly understand every word without any language barriers.
 
PRICE
Our competitors usually charge three or four times as much. Why so low? We have built our business around the work-from-home model and 100% of our staff telecommute. Meaning we have no big buildings to operate, and no expensive overhead. We pass those savings onto you, instead of padding our pockets.
 
TEAMS
We have ten US-based agents on each team, and your business will be grouped with a few others and assigned to one team. This ensures that you will always have the same agents answering calls for you. This allows them to develop a familiarity with your business and your clients, providing a better service than a company who bounces your calls around a pool of hundreds or even thousands of agents.
 
ON-DEMAND COMMUNICATION
Unlike our competitors, we connect you with your team directly via Slack instead of requiring you to email in requests and updates.

BACKGROUND NOISE (or lack thereof)
All of our agents utilize noise-canceling technology, removing dogs, other people, screaming kids, chickens or any of those other random unprofessional noises you tend to hear when you phone into a call center.

EFFICIENCY
Implementation is completed in as little as an hour. Need changes made to your script, account settings, call routing or more? We will make changes in real time by simply calling our help desk, or email them to us and have them uploaded in a few minutes.
 
RELATIONSHIP BASED
Implementation and Training: You’ll interact with your supervisor as you would your own secretary. They’ll work one-on-one with you to get all the training needed to take care of your business and then remain your point of contact for the life of your account.

Question 7

What is the difference between my office building’s answering service and Service Center Pro’s virtual receptionist service?

Accepted Answer

Your office building’s answering service may sound impersonal, as they do nothing but take a message. We use a highly sophisticated script and call answering software so we sound as if we were sitting in your office as your own secretary. You also have the ability to provide custom training to our agents, who will learn unique processes to service your business. Not to mention, we operate 7 days a week beyond normal office hours. What time does your office building's assistant go home?

Question 8

Do I have to get a new phone number?

Accepted Answer

No, you can certainly continue to use your existing phone. We will simply provide a local or toll-free number for you to forward calls to, either conditionally (when you can’t answer) or unconditionally (24/7). The majority of our clients choose to use their existing number for marketing and advertising on their websites and social media, and not give out the number we assign them. In some exceptions, there may be a need to track separate marketing campaigns or perhaps you own multiple businesses and want to distinguish the calls that come from each. In which case we will create additional phone numbers to forward each line to as sub accounts. When we do any outbound calling we can use your existing phone number as the caller ID that your customers see.

Question 9

Do you offer after hours service?

Accepted Answer

We offer 24/7 services through IVR routing, which means that you callers are given options outside of our answering hours to be routed to an emergency technician (optional) or, for non-emergencies, to leave a message that will be returned at 8am the next day.

Question 10

Will I sign a contract?

Accepted Answer

No long-term contracts! We will have you sign a service agreement outlining the details of our services, but the length of our terms are day to day. If you want to stop service just let us know and your services will be stopped immediately, and an invoice will be created for the time used up to that point.

Question 11

What happens if I go over my recommended plan minutes?

Accepted Answer

Our plans are based on the services performed while on calls and are reflected in the base and per minute rates for our different packages, not by minute caps...so you'll never go over!

Question 12

Where are you located?

Accepted Answer

Our headquarters are in Boise, Idaho, and receptionists all currently reside in the United States. Customer Service Agents work from home, and all calls are monitored and recorded to ensure excellent quality.

Question 13

Do you offer bilingual services?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Let us know if you expect a need for Spanish receptionists and we will assign our bilingual team to handle your calls. For any other languages, please consult your sales representative. We do have a subscription to a translation hotline that adds a small fee onto each call.

Question 14

How are calls handled outside of your answering hours?

Accepted Answer

Most clients prefer to have them answered by our internal voicemail systems, where calls are returned by our agents on the next business day. Other options include transferring to a 3rd party (like your cell phone), utilizing an AI receptionist, or have a directory greeting message that the caller can select an emergency option to be transferred to someone on-call by pressing a certain button.

Question 15

Can you make outbound calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes! And there is no added cost for outbound calls. It’s billed at the same rate per minute as dictated by your plan. You’re responsible for providing the warm leads and complying with the National Do Not Call Registry. We DO NOT perform outbound cold calling, collections, or calls in exchange for sales commissions.

Question 16

How are your prices so low?

Accepted Answer

Other contact centers that offer 24/7 service are charging you for burning the midnight oil, when in reality very few calls come in during that 8pm to 6am shift. By closing during those hours, we keep our overhead lower. Also, since our agents work from home, our office overhead is non-existent. We built our business model after a shared-cost approach so you’re essentially partnering with our other businesses and spreading out the cost of a full-time employee. But, instead of a larger fixed amount…you’re paying a smaller base rate and your fair share for the minutes that you use.

Question 17

Can you take payments from my customers?

Accepted Answer

Yes! All of our agents have performed PCI compliance training and are able to take payments from your customers. Service Center Pro adheres to all PCI compliance regulations for safe handling of your customer data.

Question 18

Are your call center agents based in the United States?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We provide U.S.-based agents who answer calls on behalf of your business. We do not rely on offshore call centers, ensuring compliance with current and emerging FCC regulations regarding call transparency and consumer protection.

Question 19

Do you use offshore call centers?

Accepted Answer

No. We are a U.S.-based answering service and prioritize domestic staffing. This helps our clients stay compliant with new FCC guidelines and avoids the risks associated with offshore call handling.

Question 20

Are you compliant with new FCC regulations on call centers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We stay up to date with all FCC regulations, including those related to:
Call transparency
Consumer consent
Human availability requirements
AI-assisted communication
Our service is designed to keep your business fully compliant as regulations evolve.

Question 21

Do you use AI to answer calls?

Accepted Answer

We may use technology to support efficiency, but every call can be handled by a real human agent. We never force callers to interact with AI if they prefer speaking with a person.

Question 22

Can callers request a human instead of AI?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. If a caller prefers to speak with a real person, they are immediately connected to a live agent—no loops, no barriers. This aligns with new FCC expectations around human accessibility.

Question 23

Why is FCC compliance important for my business?

Accepted Answer

Non-compliance can lead to:
Fines and penalties
Customer complaints
Loss of trust
Legal risk
Working with a compliant answering service protects your business and ensures your callers are treated properly.

Question 24

How do your services help me stay compliant?

Accepted Answer

We:
Provide trained U.S.-based agents
Ensure human availability on demand
Follow proper call handling and disclosure practices
Avoid risky offshore or fully automated call handling
This reduces your exposure while improving customer experience.

Question 25

Are other answering services compliant with these regulations?

Accepted Answer

Not all providers are keeping up with the latest FCC requirements—especially those relying heavily on offshore labor or fully automated AI systems. We’ve proactively built our service to meet and exceed current standards.

Frequently asked questions