Federal NAICS Codes

NAICS 561421: Telephone Answering Services

Explore obligations, trends, recent awards, and incumbent contractors for NAICS 561421.

NAICS 561421 federal market metrics

Total obligations
$3.7B
Total awards
3,516 awards
Active obligations
$228.6M
Size standard
$19,000,000 receipts

What this NAICS covers

NAICS 561421 covers telephone answering services, including live call reception, message taking, call transfer, dispatching, appointment scheduling, and basic call triage provided on behalf of other organizations or government agencies.

Federal opportunities under 561421 typically involve contracting for continuous or scheduled inbound call coverage, standardized message procedures, secure transfer or dispatch protocols, documentation of call records, and service-level commitments for responsiveness and accuracy.

FY2025 snapshot

Obligations
$178M
Awards
96
Average award
$1.9M
Change from FY2024
-0.4%

Recent awards

Search contractors

$0

INNOVATION AT WORK INC

Department of Veterans Affairs

PIID
36C24426P0426
PSC
R699 - SUPPORT- ADMINISTRATIVE: OTHER

FAQ

What work fits NAICS 561421?
  • After-hours live answering with message capture and authenticated caller transfer to an on-call roster according to provided escalation rules.
  • Overflow call handling for high-volume contact points where agents capture required fields, create call records, and forward information to named recipients.
  • 24/7 centralized intake for incident reports where operators follow scripts, verify caller identity, and escalate according to defined timelines.
  • Call center handling that generates QA reports, call transcripts or summaries, and daily call logs delivered to the purchaser.
When is NAICS 561421 a weak fit?
  • Interactive voice response or automated self-service implementations where the primary deliverable is an automated IVR system rather than live operator message taking.
  • Outbound telemarketing or outreach campaigns where the primary activity is proactive calling and contact generation rather than inbound message handling.
  • Telecommunications network provisioning and switching contracts focused on network engineering, routing infrastructure, or carrier services rather than live call handling.
What solicitation language points to NAICS 561421?
  • Service level requirements specify maximum answer time, abandonment thresholds, live-agent availability windows, call resolution targets, and escalation time limits.
  • Security and personnel requirements demand background checks, controlled handling of protected or personal data, encrypted call transfer, and detailed call logging deliverables.
  • Line items request training records, agent and supervisor labor categories, quality assurance sampling percent and reporting cadence, and delivery of call detail records and QA reports.

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