Answer First Communication Marks Fifty Years in Business

When Jim Kilgore’s Smyrna-based answering service, Answer First Communication, started operations in 1960, there were no personal computers, email, faxes, cell phones, voicemail, texting devices, PDAs, or pagers.  There were “just good old-fashioned telephones and operators answering live twenty-four-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week,” said Kilgore.  “Some things that work for businesses just don’t need to change,” he added.  “If you have a business telephone in any industry, we answer anytime 24/7 with trained and skilled folks, so our clients never miss a call from a ready-to-buy customer.  Your business telephone is still your most important business tool.  A lot of businesses run an advertisement, but have no one to answer their phone.  That doesn’t happen here.”

However, there is current technology that does make sense for Kilgore’s answering service.  “Of course we deliver messages to our clients by any of the most up-to-date electronic devices and means businesses use today, and we have state-of-the-art computer equipment, but having a real live, friendly, and professional person on the front end makes a great impression on customers,” Kilgore proudly stated.  “Our system has proven to increase sales for our clients.  Most people just hate answering machines and the ‘voicemail jail’ they encounter in a business environment and will just hang up and try somebody else.”

The Smyrna Business Association recently recognized the answering service at their monthly meeting on January 9.  In addition, the city of Smyrna issued a proclamation from Mayor Max Bacon’s office stating their appreciation for the longevity demonstrated by Answer First Communication.  “I extend congratulations to Answer First Communication on their fiftieth anniversary, with best wishes for many more years to come,” said Mayor Bacon.

Jim Kilgore, a former baseball catcher who had played pro ball for two years for the former Brooklyn Dodgers’ minor league affiliate in Thomasville, Georgia, is active in the local community.  He is a member and past president of the Smyrna Business Association and a member of the Smyrna Kiwanis Club, the Vinings Business Association, the Atlanta Apartment Association, and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.  He also plays softball for the Smyrna Senior Gold League.

Kilgore says another benefit he offers his clients is that many of his employees have been with him for over ten years and are well-versed in providing exceptional service.  “We have some great people on the phone lines and in the call center.  We take care of them so they can take care of our clients.  Our director of operations, Donna Ellis, has been on the job since 1978, and we have many clients that have also been with us for well over ten years.”

The company has also just added a new vice president of sales and marketing, Glenn Christian.  Mr. Christian, a Smyrna-area native, has eleven years’ experience in business development in the call center industry and is helping to broaden and enhance the services offered by the company.  “We like to make it easy for people to do business with us.  The benefit of a live answer 24/7 and the peace of mind it brings are immeasurable,” says Christian.

In addition to their core service, Answer First also provides 1-800 numbers, order taking, crisis and emergency lines, and help desk services.  As for new services, Kilgore says, “For our clients and other businesses, we offer an ‘Employee Workplace Awareness Hotline’ program for loss-prevention and risk-reduction so their employees can call in anonymously twenty-four-hours-a-day to report any complaints or potential illegal activities they observe in their workplace.  We also provide a 24-Hour Job Line for employers so they can prescreen and prequalify job seekers on the phone before they decide to set up an interview.  We also have an expanded Web site, www.answer1stinc.com to make it easy for our clients to find us, gather information on our services, and provide feedback to us.  The company can also be reached at 770-333-1000.”

How much longer does Kilgore plan to work in the business?  “Just as long as I feel good and that probably will be for a long time, because we provide a service that helps businesses increase sales and improve their bottom line, especially today,” he said.  “Some things never change.”                     [download issue]