Keystone Answering Service

Keystone Answering Service is committed to providing high quality and cost-effective service to you and your callers.  We helped design and beta test all four levels of certifications within the telephone answering service industry: Agent, Advanced Agent, Supervisor, and Site Certifications.  In fact, we hold ATSI Site Certification # 001.  We are literally the first in our industry.

We adhere to industry best practices and run a continuous call monitoring program to ensure that each of our Call Center staff members provide excellent service.  Our dedication to excellence has been recognized by the telephone answering service industry many times.  Every employee at Keystone knows that to our valued clients, “we are only as good as our last call.” Read more about our awards and achievements.

ATSI and CAM-X Award of Excellence Programs

We participate in our two industry trade association Award of Excellence programs.  They are provided by the Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) and the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X) organizations.  Each year “mystery callers” place ten random test calls over a six month period.  Independent judges contracted by ATSI and CAM-X then evaluate every aspect of our messaging services. The scoring criteria includes factors such as:

                         – Response Time
                           – Courteousness of our Agent
                              – Accuracy of Call
                                – Knowledge of Account
                                  – Overall Impression of Call

In fact we have received the ATSI Award of Excellence  every year since 1998, and the CAM-X Award of Excellence consecutively since 2008.  In addition, we have achieved the TOP SCORE twice, the TOP CALL AWARD twice, and placed in the TOP TEN of all participating answering services ten times! Our track record speaks for itself.  Please see our latest Press Release which summarizes Keystone’s performance in both industry programs.

Agent Certification

The ATSI Agent Certification Program is designed to recognize telephone answering service agents who have achieved a level of proficiency.  This accreditation ensures that agents have the proper skill set required to provide outstanding customer service to your clients.  All of Keystone’s agents, with a tenure over six months, are qualified to become Agent Certified.  At Keystone, Agent Certification is the first step to further advancement within our organization.

Advanced Agent Certification

The ATSI Advanced Agent (formerly Dispatcher) Certification Program expands upon the requirements of the ATSI Agent Certification program, requiring agents to demonstrate proper call handling and dispatching skills, as well as sound decision making capabilities.  Employees need a minimum of one year of experience to qualify for Advance Agent Certification.  All Keystone Answering Service Dispatchers are ATSI Agent Certified.  This is the second step of advancement within Keystone Answering Service, and as is the case with Agent Certification, employees receive a recognition award, a bonus, and a raise in recognition of their increased skill set.

Site Certification

ATSI 24 / 7 Site Certification Program sets forth nearly sixty industry best practice criteria that must be met or exceeded.  ATSI Site Certified companies demonstrate a high level of proficiency in continuous operational run time, recovery techniques, best business practices, proper procedure documentation, and levels of redundancy required for 24 / 7 preparedness.  With this certification, telephone answering services must undergo a strenuous peer review and inspection program every three years, and meet changes in requirements within the program. Keystone Answering Service was the first company to become ATSI Site Certified.  In 2001, we received Site Certification #001.  We have been in continuous site certification since the program founding, and we were grand-fathered from SNUG to ATSI Site Certification in 2004.  We maintained our Gold Level status with our most recent re-certification in 2019.   Keystone Gold Site Certification Press Release     

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