Unique Phone Answering Service Applications – Elevator Monitoring

When you think about phone answering services, you probably think of traditional services, like medical phone answering or services that provide a virtual receptionist to small businesses to answer after hours calls. There are lots of other more “unusual” services that telephone answering services handle.

Elevator Monitoring

You know that little red “Emergency Call” button in all elevators? Every elevator has one — they are required by law to have emergency call buttons. The engineering specifications for elevator safety put it this way:

…A push button to actuate the two-way communication means shall be provided in or adjacent to a car operating panel. The push button shall be visible and permanently identified with the “PHONE” symbol (see 2.26.12.1). The identification shall be on or adjacent to the “PHONE” push button. When the push button is actuated, the emergency two-way communication means shall initiate a call….and means within the car for communicating with or signaling to an emergency service that operates 24 h each day

ASME A17.1-2016/CSA B44-16

Who answers these elevator calls? In many situations, telephone answering services are handling these calls. In the event of an emergency, a phone answering service is well suited to handle the dispatch of emergency personnel to resolve any issues with the elevator. Answering services use dispatch software to answer calls and then determine who to dispatch to provide assistance at the elevator.