Efficient functioning of the business firm depends heavily on an effective communication flow between the firm and the consumer. Manufacturing a product and making it available on the market is only a part of the company job. It is equally important, or perhaps more important, to make it known to the consumer that the product is available in the market. A local phone answering service can play a pivotal role in this regard.

In a competitive market, where several firms are striving to win over consumers, it is not enough if the availability of a product is made known to the consumers. It is also essential to propagate the distinctive features of the product, and the process does not end here. Its the job of the local phone answering service to get feedback on how consumers accept its products and interpret its messages. This multidimensional function can be carried out through an effective, continuous two-way flow of information between the firm and the consumer.

According traditional views held by business firms, the promotional mix of personal selling, advertising, sales promotion and publicity is the only instrument available for communicating with the consumer. The advent of technology gave rise to local phone answering services that have done wonder for business firms, saving them money -- as compared to advertising and publicity that require hefty budgets to implement.

Local phone answering services can be defined as the phenomenon of presenting a set of messages to a target market through multiple cues and media, with the intention of creating a favorable response from the market towards the companys total product offering. In addition, local phone answering service provides much needed market feedback for improving and modifying the companys total product offering. This feedback is very essential for the proper functioning of the firm.