The Importance of NEVER Missing a Business Call!

We can all agree on the premise that without customers, you don’t have a business, right? And the key to a successful business is giving customers an exceptional service every single time they buy from you or contact you.

And this isn’t just general common knowledge. There are companies that spend their time researching and surveying businesses and their customers to produce some down-right juicy statistics. For example,

When you get it right:

• 3 out of 4 customers have spent more money when a good service has been provided
• 60% of people have bought from a company just knowing they will receive an exceptional service
• Companies that have switched their focus on to customer experience have seen a revenue increase of 80%

When you get it wrong:

• More than 50% of people have switched to a competitor after just one bad experience
• 3 in 4 people felt their day was ruined by a bad interaction with a business
• 90% of people would switch to a different company if they knew they would receive a better service

Where are your customers at?

The tricky thing isn’t necessarily knowing how to give a good service but knowing where your customers are likely to show up for you to give that service to them. With 80% of the UK’s population preferring to shop online, we’d forgive you for thinking that that’s how they will contact you. It would make sense, wouldn’t it?

The thing is, you’re forgetting that the British public is funny in that they like to keep businesses on their toes. So before you deploy staff to your web chat and email, consider the humble telephone.

Humans love human interaction and if they can’t come and see you in a bricks-and-mortar store, their next best option is to pick up the phone. Yes! In 2022, 61% of people confessed that if they had any issues, they would contact a company using the phone. 80% commented that they were more likely to buy from a business that offered a phone number as a way of contact as they seemed more trustworthy.

The question is, if 75% of customers believe they will get a quicker response if they call a company for assistance, how do you ensure that you deliver on their belief, and without blowing your budget?

A cracking combo!

Psychologically, customers do not enjoy using a stand-alone answer machine, as there is no immediate feedback or resolution. It makes for an emotionally unsatisfactory experience. If, however, the customer connects after a short time, or has their call returned, there is a huge amount of psychological fulfilment, which will go a long way to retaining and expanding your customer base.

In this day and age, technology has developed past the point of mere answer machines. New technology allows systems like SwitchboardFREE to work together with simple psychology to help build successful relationships with customers at minimal cost.

No excuse for phone rage.

Phone rage is now considered to be the number one rage, overtaking the all-too-common road rage. Callers list their frustrations as the amount of time taken to complete a call, and a lack of a satisfactory response from the business, both leading to poor customer service.

The research proves that the British public is angry at the service they are receiving. Not only that, they are more than happy to vent it to you and your staff. In October 2021 a survey carried out on behalf of ICS found a 6% increase in abuse over a 6 month period which was more than half of those who regularly dealt with the public.

So let’s not make our customers angry, let’s not give them an excuse to complain and give them what they need – fantastic customer service!

The right service at the right price.

With SwitchboardFREE we’ve designed a system to make sure that each customer gets the attention they need in a suitable time frame to prevent cases of phone rage and make them feel appreciated.

You can easily distribute inbound calls to a number of different landlines (regardless of geographical location) on a rotational basis, so calls are answered by the first available staff member. This function is particularly useful when you have a number of home workers, or staff that need to be on the move.

Regular customers can be greeted by name for a more personal experience, hold times and queue positions can be announced and you can choose any hold music that you feel your customers will enjoy. If your caller doesn’t wish to wait, they can leave a message which your staff will receive in real-time, and address as soon as possible.

Ensuring each caller has an agreeable experience when they call your business will help to retain existing customers, convert potential leads and increase your customer-centric brand reputation. SwitchboardFREE gives you the tools to make that happen, all with a few easy taps on an app.

You’ll never miss a customer call again!