Can you define your business and your specialities?

Moneypenny is the UK’s leading telephone answering and outsourced switchboard provider. With over 250 staff, we look after in excess of eight million calls a year for businesses of all shapes and sizes - from sole traders right up to multinational corporations. Our award-winning service incorporates dedicated legal and property teams and is endorsed by the Law Society and Home Sale Network respectively.

How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

Moneypenny was born out of frustration with traditional telephone answering services. Businesses don't want to deal with nameless, faceless objects. They want to deal with real people, with real characters and a real understanding of their needs. Moneypenny Receptionists are employed for their can-do attitude and professional approach. Each trained on the importance of customer care and the quality of service, they are as much a part of our clients’ teams as they are ours. Moneypenny is not a call centre. Far from it. One visit to our UK-based office will demonstrate that. No timed breaks. No listening into phone calls. No battery farm desks. No scripts. Clients that joined us in 2000 are still with us today and our staff turnover is negligible. Moneypenny is much more than a telephone answering service, more than a place to work and so much more than a supplier. We're a family business with family values.

In your opinion - what are the top 3 outsourcing hot topics / trends at the moment?

1.

Client experience

A telephone switchboard has to be one of the clearest demonstrations of ‘client experience’ within a business. Having to wait for an available operator, or hearing out of office announcements, creates instant frustration even before the customer has had chance to state the reason for their call. Companies who fail to address their telephone answering issues are putting themselves at a clear disadvantage, jeopardising existing client relationships and also that crucial first impression to prospects.

2.

Saving Money

Now more than ever, businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs and make savings to the bottom line. Telephone support allows businesses to reduce switchboard operating costs in a number of ways. They no longer have the variable cost associated with costly temps and reception head count can remain constant and at an optimum level for the business. Despite the lower costs, high service levels will be maintained and new opportunities captured at all times.

3.

Outsourcing partnership

Historically, the process of outsourcing was largely mechanical in its approach. Lack of synergy between a business and its outsourcing partner led to repeated contract failings. It’s crucial that businesses realise the importance of trust and the need to actively manage the relationship on a long-term basis. An outsourcing contender must understand you and your business; offer ways to measure the success of your partnership; and finally, demonstrate that you are as important to them as they are to you.

Can you give some examples of best practice at Moneypenny?

Moneypenny understands that businesses need to know and trust the supplier they’re choosing to work with. For this reason, we will always hold a new client’s hand every step the way. From introducing them to the person who will be responsible for delivering our product, to talking to the company’s line provider and telecoms engineers about diverting calls – we’re in it for the long-haul. The exceptional calibre of our team and the technology we offer has been recognised by a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and being nominated by the Sunday Times as one of the Best 100 Places to Work.

What does the future hold for Moneypenny?

As part of Moneypenny’s Law Society-endorsed telephone answering provision for the legal sector, we will be offering a dedicated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery product for law firms from July 2012. Due to repeated requests from clients, we are also looking to offer 24-hour telephone answering provision from September 2012. The future for Moneypenny and our clients looks bright.