Answering services are cost effective ways for many businesses to handle after hour calls or when staff are unavailable. Studies show that up to a third of callers will not leave a message if their call is answered by a voice mail.

Some telephone answering services have dedicated  employees with names that you can use on your website. You will have the same small group of people always answering your calls. This provides a more familiar feel and can be superior to the typical answering service where dozens or even hundreds answer your calls.

Automated voicemail systems can help on the front end, especially if customers are not forced to make too many choices.  It's usually best if they can get to a live person after pressing only a single button.  The ideal customer experience, however, is to hear their call answered by a live person.