<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a lot more Montana registered agents than you\u2019d think. In order to narrow down the field, I read online reviews until my eyes blurred. I went through TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau, Google Business, and Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction in online reviews, but if you read enough of them you begin to see some common themes. This was how I found a disturbing trend among a number of Montana registered agents. I found more than 50 companies that used a bait-and-switch pricing strategy to lure customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most common form was an ad promoting a special price (usually between $39\u2013$59), which made the company\u2019s registered agent service sound like a bargain. The truth, as always, belied the fine print. The advertised price was just a sign-up fee and the annual rate ended up being substantially higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I eliminated any company that used this pricing strategy. First and foremost, I need to appoint a Montana registered agent I can trust. A company that tries to swindle me from the outset certainly doesn\u2019t meet that criterion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 2: Website Analysis<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAfter weeding out those who were less than honest about their prices, I was left with just 12 remaining Montana registered agents. My next step was to go through their websites to see exactly what products they offered as part of their registered agent service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found 24 distinct services offered by the 12 Montana registered agents. I made a very simple spreadsheet with the agents listed down the rows and the services in the columns. If a company offered a particular service, I simply checked that box. It was a great way to visualize what Montana registered agents offered the most services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 3: Speaking with Real Customers<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nI also wanted to talk directly to actual customers, and I am lucky to have a large network of other Montana business owners whom I could lean on. Talking with them was far more revealing than online reviews and allowed me to ask very specific questions about their experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since launching this website, I\u2019m now fortunate enough to be getting even more real-customer feedback from readers, which I use to constantly update my ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Stage 4: Speaking with Their Sales Teams<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nFor my final stage, I went back to the companies themselves. This definitely isn\u2019t the way to get very unbiased information, but by phoning each company\u2019s sales team I was able to get a good sense of the different company cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since I knew each Montana registered agent pretty well by this point, I was able to ask very direct questions about specific complaints. You can learn a lot from how a company responds to a complaint. I learned how seriously they take customer feedback, how quickly they find solutions to problems, and how committed they are to improving their service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n