In today’s hyper-competitive business climate, it’s important to seize every advantage possible. By showing customers that you have the ability to anticipate their needs — and deliver great service on their terms — you can earn enduring loyalty.
The use of a 24/7, on-call answering service is one of the most effective ways to please your clients and build your business. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few reasons why an answering service can pay major dividends.
It makes your business much more accessible
A few decades ago, many companies could get away with following “banker’s hours” and shutting down all public communication channels at the close of the business day. In today’s highly-connected, smartphone-enabled world, that’s no longer a viable option.
Customers have been conditioned by social media and other technologies to expect near-instant answers to their queries. If they have an important question and they are told they must wait until the following day for an answer, odds are good they will start checking out the competition. Additionally, not every one of your customers has the time or the ability to call during business hours. By closing down communication, you’re missing out on a massive potential customer base.
An on-call answering service, however, allows you to provide 24/7 customer interaction. Questions can be answered immediately — something that makes for happy customers and a better bottom line.
It improves customer experience
Let’s face it — people hate talking to machines. They also dislike using voicemail: A recent study cited by the Harvard Business Review showed that voicemail use is falling out of favor, as people simply don’t like leaving or retrieving messages.
Customers do appreciate a warm, friendly human voice on the other end of the line, however. This kind of communication personalizes and humanizes professional interactions, which in turn makes people feel better about the experience. If a customer calls up with a legitimate complaint — and can only get a voicemail message — that customer may be lost for good. Yet, if that same customer is able to connect with a real, empathetic person, the issues can typically be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.
Ultimately, this keeps customers happy and protects the reputation of the business — a precious thing in an environment when a negative review can be posted online in a matter of seconds.
It makes businesses more efficient
Efficiency is a key element of business growth. By working faster and with fewer errors, companies earn more revenue and keep their clients happy.
An on-call answering service can help promote efficiency by allowing businesses to quickly react to customer feedback and reduce the potential for mistakes. As anyone who has ever retrieved a voicemail can attest, often times much of the message is lost in translation. By using a professionally-trained answering service, the risk of such errors is minimized, as you never have to worry about a garbled message or incomplete information again.
The takeaway
An on-call answering service is an important part of the growth strategy for many small businesses. By reducing the potential for errors and providing better accessibility and user experience, these services have helped countless businesses reach their full potential. Contact MAP Communications today for a free 7-Day trial.
Source: https://hbr.org/2013/09/time-to-hang-up-on-voice-mail
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