Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Message Pad located and how do I contact you?

What exactly does Message Pad do?

How does it work?

What are your service hours?

What does it cost?

How quickly can you set up a service for me?

What are your terms and conditions?

How many calls can you handle?

What happens if more than one person rings at the same time?

What if I don’t have an office but I don’t want my callers to know?

What happens out of office hours?

How do I receive my messages?

I divert my calls to my mobile. Why should I change?

Tell me about the Message Pad operators

How do you invoice me and collect payments?

Where is Message Pad located and how do I contact you?     (Back to top of page)

Message Pad has regional centres in Edinburgh (servicing all Scotland), Belfast (servicing Northern Ireland), Sutton Coldfield (servicing the West Midlands and North West England), Nottingham (servicing the East Midlands and Eastern England), Winchester (servicing Central South and South East England) and Portsmouth (servicing Central South, the South West and Wales).  These centres are located to ensure our services are available UK wide.

You can e-mail the offices by clicking on the links above or call them on the following numbers:

What exactly does Message Pad do?     (Back to top of page)

Quite simply, we answer your telephone for you when you can’t. We always answer in your company name, with your preferred greeting, e.g. “Good morning, thank you for calling Smith & Sons. How can I help you?”, and take the caller’s details and a message or give out the information you have asked us to. We’ll then send you the details of each and every call we have taken.

How does it work?     (Back to top of page)

You divert your calls to us when you are busy or when your lines would otherwise go unanswered. Click here for details of BT’s Call Diversion Calling Features and monthly charges. We strongly recommend that you choose the Call Divert on No Reply or Busy option as this means you can keep the same divert on day and night and not have to remember to switch on or off.  Practical instructions on setting up the divert from your 'phone can be found here.

We provide you with a free, dedicated 0800 number to which you divert your calls (so there are no extra diversion costs apart from the BT monthly charge) and this enables our software to correctly identify your company, your greeting, how you want your messages sent and any other information associated with your account. All those details are then presented on the operator’s screen ready for them to take the call for you.

What are your service hours?     (Back to top of page)

Our standard hours are Monday to Friday 7.30am to 7.00pm.  However, Message Pad services are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, if necessary.  Note that extended service hours incur an additional charge.  Please contact us with your specific requirements to receive a quote.

What does it cost?     (Back to top of page)

The following prices are a guideline only - please contact us with your exact requirement so that we can provide a tailored quotation. 

We charge a set-up fee which covers writing a specific “script” for your service and training our operators in your specific requirements. For example, a simple messaging service with no complexities could be charged a fee of £125 + vat.  For standard hours, again for a simple service, there is a monthly service charge of £30 + vat.  Call charges, for simple messaging calls are charged at £1.10 + vat. This charge includes delivery of your message by text to your mobile ‘phone OR an e-mail to your preferred e-mail address.  If you require extended hours of coverage or have requirements other than a basic messaging service, call charges can change to a per minute, per 30 second, per 6 second or even per 1 second rate for high volumes.  Please contact us with your specific requirements so that a quotation can be prepared.

How quickly can you set up a service for me?     (Back to top of page)

If your requirements are simple and you have the call diversion services in place from your telco, then we can usually have your service set up within 1-2 wording days of receipt of your signed contract.

What are your terms and conditions?     (Back to top of page)

These can be accessed here.

How many calls can you handle?     (Back to top of page)

Message Pad is proud to operate 6 call centres across the UK and we have some 150 operators available to take calls. However, we prefer to have just one centre handling your account as this makes training easier and the operators will quickly get to know you, your account and even your regular callers. For those companies who have high peaks of call traffic, as a result of advertising or seasonal fluctuations in demand for example, we can bring in a second or third centre to share the calls at no extra cost to you.

What happens if more than one person rings at the same time?     (Back to top of page)

Even if your office only has one telephone line coming in, the diversion you set up to us allows any number of callers to reach you – or, rather, to reach Message Pad who will handle multiple calls for you! Because our call centres use software to distribute calls, as opposed to an old-fashioned switchboard, there is no limit to the number of simultaneous calls we can handle on your account.

What if I don’t have an office but I don’t want my callers to know?     (Back to top of page)

One of the main benefits of using Message Pad’s services is that it creates a great impression. There’s always someone there to answer your calls in your company name and it doesn’t matter when, or from where, you divert your calls; it could be from your home study telephone line or your mobile phone line, our call centre and operators will treat those calls in exactly the same way. As we provide you with a free 0800 number, you could decide to advertise that as your “office” number, for example in Yellow Pages, The Phone Book etc, and a freephone 0800 number will be really appreciated by your callers. Once our operator is speaking to your caller, they will follow your instructions precisely, so if you do not wish your customers to know that you use a telephone answering facility, then we won’t tell them.

What happens out of office hours?      (Back to top of page)

Message Pad services and operators are available 24/7 and so you need never be out of office hours again! Indeed, we specialise in providing a range of Out of Hours services from call-out to tele-fixing and media response. However, our “standard” Monday to Friday service provides cover from 7.30am to 7.00pm. If you do not wish to extend these services hours, we can set up a personal voicemail box for you to collect any messages from callers who come through after these hours. Callers reaching your voicemail box will still be greeted by a recorded message using your company name and any other greeting you require. We’ll give you a PIN code to access the voicemail box so you can pick up your messages at a convenient time.

How do I receive my messages?      (Back to top of page)

There are a number of options and we will tailor the service according to your specific needs. We would usually send an e-mail and/or text message with full call details either immediately after the call ends or at a set time/s during the day. If you do not think your calls will be urgent, the latter may be sufficient for you although most of our clients prefer to have an immediate message so that they remain fully aware of all the calls we’re handling for their business. As an additional service, for specific callers or call types, we can provide Patch Through; our operator will seamlessly transfer the call to you at the telephone number you have specified and introduce the caller which gives you the option of taking the call or declining it if you’re busy.

I divert my calls to my mobile.  Why should I change?     (Back to top of page)

Apart from the bad impression that gives with background noise, loss of reception, delays while you pull over to the side of the road etc, the cost of diverting to your mobile can be astronomical if the call takes any longer then a few seconds. Message Pad’s Virtual Reception service is designed specifically for clients who often find themselves out of the office with no-one else available to take calls. Our operators will quickly become part of your team and that will leave you free to concentrate on meetings, driving or simply taking a break.

Tell me about the Message Pad operators     (Back to top of page)

Message Pad is incredibly proud of the operators in all our call centres. We invest heavily in training and coaching and once our operators are skilled in their respective roles, we do our utmost to keep them – and that is why we have one of the best staff retention rates in the industry. They are offered the opportunity of training within the NVQ framework, specifically in Customer Service, Call Handling and Supervisory Skills, and all are given client-specific training so that they are never surprised or unprepared for a call coming in. Indeed, for more complex accounts, our clients often play a part in this training process and many operators have visited client sites to get a real feel and understanding of the business they will be working for.

We have located our call centres very carefully in areas with good public transportation and where there is a population made up of a cross section of life stages; our staff base includes mature students, people working part time to fit around family life and those who have more unusual second jobs such as writers. All have one thing in common, though, and that is they are of the highest quality and display tremendous team spirit and loyalty which, we believe, shines through every time they take a call.

How do you invoice me and collect payments?     (Back to top of page)

We invoice you twice each month; these invoices will include your advance service charge and the call charges for the period since the previous invoice. Our terms are 30 days from the invoice date and payment can be made by Direct Debit, BACS payment or cheque.