The Highest Quality Telephone Answering Service in the United States

Centratel

Telephone Answering Service

Centratel Telephone Answering Service logo as a placeholder image

Headed to NYC

October 20, 2007
Answering Service
By admin

The book is still in editing — but almost out. I’ve met with the printer, have an indexer set up, and have a cover designed. It is time to begin publicity so I leave Monday for a week in NYC to meet with media. Here’s another excerpt:

It was 3 a.m. I was wide awake and, oddly, serene for the first time in years. Then, on the edge of losing everything, and in this bizarre defiant/relaxed state of mind, questions arose. Without coaxing and for no apparent reason, two simple, pragmatic questions came charging out of the blackness, questions that had nothing to do with the specifics of the immediate crisis.

Taking the Next Step

For a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed in Why Choose Centratel Q&A (scroll down the page if you are on a mobile phone.)

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or if you have questions, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

Terms of Service

Why Choose Centratel

BY SAM CARPENTER
May 1, 2026

1.CENTRATEL’S UNIQUE 30-DAY FREE TRIAL

Why is this important? Because it will provide you a truly accurate estimate of cost (we bill monthly), it will demonstrate our quality, and it gives both sides of this brand new relationship—you and Centratel—plenty of time to refine and perfect operational details.

Here’s a testimonial from a new medical client that had just finished their 30-day trial: “Of course, I love the cost as it is close to the amount I was allowed by the president of the company. I told him that if we did not continue with Centratel, I would resign as the Director of Customer Service, and I meant it. It’s a great fit. We have had NOT ONE complaint from a patient or in-house which, as you know, we received daily with our former answering service. I love you, Centratel, and the price. I’m ready to sign whatever documents you require. Thanks for the great service, and the free month! To a great partnership! -KB, Phoenix“

2.STATISTICALLY, THE BEST IN THE U.S.?

In this business, service quality is 100% dependent on human action and reaction, and in the course of a single day, a multitude of human decisions are made by the people who process the calls: Telephone Service Receptionists, or TSRs. (Some answering services refer to them as “agents.” Others, “operators.”)

Like any other answering /call capture services, at Centratel we’re dealing with real live human beings and so human errors can occur. But within the labor-intensive answering service industry, historically known for marginal quality, Centratel’s error rate is light-years ahead of established standards. Our most recent Customer Reported Error Rate (January through March, 2026) was 1 customer-reported error for every 7,225 message transactions processed. That statistic is unmatched.

There are no artificial intelligence manipulations, we do not offshore calls, and we were founded and have always operated within the United States. (Note that since early 2020, the COVID six-foot social distancing mandate has driven thousands of small-to-medium-sized answering services out of business. Large, often foreign-owned multinationals, disguised under the names of the local answering services they acquired, now thoroughly dominate the industry. Hence, an even further decline in general service quality. See this analysis.)

3.CUSTOMER SERVICE EXTRAORDINAIRE

Your concerns will be instantly acted upon. It’s a work ethic that stands in stark contrast to the general decline in quality of human-to-human business communications. You’ve seen it yourself, all around. At Centratel you will know by name the customer service people you’re working with, appreciating their patient listening abilities as well as their take-action-now comportment. e.g. see the testimonial in point #1 above. ‘Nuff said!

4.GETTING STARTED: IT’S SIMPLE AND FAST

Getting your new Centratel answering service 30-day free trial up and running can be accomplished within hours. Usually, the same day. From the start, your “onboarding” customer service representative will be with you every step of the way, listening carefully to your concerns, answering questions, and offering suggestions.

5. NEW TO USING AN ANSWERING / CALL CAPTURE SERVICE?

The very large majority of our current accounts switched to us from another service because of quality and/or cost problems. However, if you have not used a service before, you are not familiar with the options, benefits, and pitfalls. Our 30-day free trial provides you—and us—plenty of time to precisely refine your desired message-taking and delivery protocols; to get things exactly the way you want them to be without any financial risk, undue pressure, or obligation. 

6.PRICING

Starting at $150 per month, our rates fall within the low- to mid-range of the answering service industry. Note that we charge by the “transaction unit” rather than the duration of time spent handling calls. Large “mega-services” operating in the U.S. prefer time billing because it ensures the company is compensated for lower-paid/high-turnover — and thus slower — agents. No matter the quality or how long they keep your callers on hold, they still make a profit. And yes, it can get expensive, especially if your caller’s on-hold time is also billed.

In any answering service, it takes a long time for a new agent to become fast, efficient, and stable. At Centratel, we pamper and reward experienced agents (via high pay and great benefits) and therefore have extremely low staff turnover. Needless to say, experienced agents make fewer errors than trainees who learn on-the-job. And, transaction-unit billing is easy to understand. There is no room for fraud (as in time-billing) . We can easily document and explain any monthly billing we send you.

7.ACCURATELY COMPARING ANSWERING SERVICE PRICING IS COMPLICATED

It’s apples and oranges. There isn’t an industry standard for billing, and each answering service has its own formula. Also, as noted above, some services charge by agent “time” while a few, like us, charge by the “transaction units.” Some others combine the two. At Centratel, we charge for the work we do, not by the time we spend. The raw truth is that the only reliable way to determine the monthly cost of a new service is to use it for a solid month. Most answering services offer a 7-day free trial or no trial at all. With Centratel you get 30-days.

8. MONTHLY OR 28-DAY BILLING?

Important! At Centratel, we use a “monthly” billing cycle in which invoices are compiled from the first day of a month through the last day of that month. When soliciting quotes from other services, be sure to ask if the base-rate charges are billed monthly or on a “28-day billing cycle.” There is no good reason for a 28-day billing cycle! It’s a sly manipulation by the answering service: leadership. Customers billed on a 28-day cycle actually receive thirteen billings per year instead of twelve.

9.NO CONTRACT, NO DEPOSIT, AND SIMPLE TERMS OF SERVICE

We don’t ask for a term contract for service because you should be able to evaluate us in real time, without restraint. Our terms of service are simple and straight-forward.

10.VALUABLE FREE GIFT FOR CONTACTING US

If you take the time to discuss call-capture service with us, on that same day, we will ship you a hardcover copy of Sam Carpenter’s bestselling book, Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less, now in its 5th edition. (Sam is Centatel’s very active CEO.) December 1st 2025 marked his fortieth year of ownership.)