Business Connections, Inc.

When the phone rings and nobody is free to answer

Founded, by its own account, in 1949, Business Connections, Inc. provides live telephone answering to firms that lose calls or would rather not hire a receptionist. The company calls itself an award-winning provider and says staff are on duty at all hours throughout the year. Its marketing begins with the situations that cost small firms customers, such as a busy line, an unreliable voicemail box or an owner who is away from the office when a prospective client calls.

Two ways to route calls

A business can keep answering its own phone and let the service back it up. Unanswered calls roll over to a receptionist after three rings, and the caller does not realize the call has moved. Alternatively, all incoming calls can go directly to the service. The receptionist then greets the caller with wording chosen by the client, and can warm-transfer the call, take a message, pass the caller to voicemail or do something else the client has specified.

Delivering messages

Messages arrive by email, or as a text on the client's mobile, where tapping the number shown rings the caller back. Audio of the call can be played back from a computer or a smartphone. For calls that cannot wait, including those from a potential client or arising from a client emergency, receptionists connect the caller to the client's mobile, either directly or after a warm handover. The company points out that real people can reassure callers and collect details that some would never leave with a recording.

Flexible cover

Clients choose how much phone coverage to buy, from part-time to full-time. The company positions the service as a cheaper option than recruiting a full-time receptionist, and states that it charges no set-up fee or deposit.

Fields it serves

Its web pages are written for legal practices, aviation businesses, veterinary clinics, consultants, dental and medical offices, mental health practitioners, and contractors in heating and air conditioning, plumbing, roofing and wood flooring. There is also material on forwarding calls by state.

Business Connections, Inc. provides live telephone answering for firms that miss calls or do not want to employ a receptionist. The company presents itself as an established service, active since 1949, with staff available on every day.

What Business Connections, Inc. offers

• Overflow answering: unanswered calls roll over to a receptionist without callers noticing.
• Full answering: every call taken by the service if the client prefers.
• Warm transfers: urgent callers connected directly to the client's mobile phone.
• Messages: sent by text or email, with the option of playing back the caller's voice.
• Trial period: seven days of answering with no obligation.

Customers and markets

Law firms, healthcare and veterinary practices, consultants, aviation businesses and building trades. It also suits part-time needs, since the service can grow from limited hours to full time.

Key facts

• Category: answering service
• Since: 1949
• Cover: 24 hours a day, every day of the year