In a digital world, there are so many options to communicate. Text, email, chat – even phone systems have become automated. People are prompted through an automated menu long before they can hopefully talk to someone or simply leave a message.
But people are getting more and more frustrated with having to jump through hoops just to talk to someone. Emails and texts can be ignored. A chat on a website may not answer the correct questions. A lot of times, the best approach is an interactive telephone conversation – one human to another.
Customer experience
Like previously stated, customers want to talk to another human. You want your customer to feel valued. It’s all about creating a great customer experience, which is rapidly becoming a key differentiator for consumers. When a customer experiences a problem with a product or a service, especially, it’s incredibly frustrating to be prompted through an automated phone menu with no real hope of ever speaking to a person, no less the right person. When a customer’s call is answered by a receptionist, they feel they are in good hands and are hopeful their issues will be resolved or their questions answered.
Customer retention
Happy, satisfied customers are more likely to stick around. And customer retention is key. An increase of customer retention of just 5 percent can mean at least a 25 percent increase to your profit. How? Because repeat customers are more likely to spend more – 67 percent more to be exact. Everyone knows it’s more expensive for a business to bring in a new customer than it is to keep an existing customer.
Great first impressions
When you have someone professional and friendly manning your phones, it makes your business look great. It makes your business look great when the phone is answered every time! Have you been in a position where you’ve been forced to send calls to voicemail while you’re busy? That could have been a potential customer that, instead of calling back later or leaving a voicemail, chose a different business – the one that did answer the call.
Why not just hire an in-office receptionist?
Of course, you could do that. But consider the costs of having a full-time employee. Not just salary, but benefits, paid time off and holidays. You’re looking at an annual $25,000 cost to your company. You can hire an answering service for a fraction of the cost! In addition, some answering services offer after hours or 24/7 live call answering. That means your business will always be open.
Get started with live virtual receptionists
If your phones need manning and you want to offer the human interaction consumers crave, consider hiring an answering service. At VoiceNation, our virtual receptionists are the best in the business. We offer simple, transparent pricing with no hidden fees or charges. We are open 24/7, holidays, too, and we provide that service for no extra cost. Want to learn more? Give us a call! 877.679.3777.