One of the biggest customer service issues for any business is how it wants to deal with its phones. While most people would like to hear an actual voice when they call a business, it is much more cost effective for most businesses to automate their phone systems. One solution is to use a professional answering service, which gives businesses the best of both worlds. They get to automate their phone systems while customers still get to talk to an actual person.
Customer service can make or break a company. Studies have shown that about six out of every 10 people would be willing to try a different company simply for the chance at a better customer service experience, and nearly eight of 10 said they have not followed through with a purchase because of a bad customer service experience. You might think that most people prefer dealing with companies via email or chat, but that’s actually not true. More than 60% of people still prefer to deal with a company over the phone. That makes a company’s phone service extremely important.
Trying to have your own staff to handle phone calls can be very expensive, and it also can be a logistical nightmare. You have to decide whether you are going to offer phone service outside of regular business hours, and you also need some way to train your employees. For a large company, that may not be that much of a problem, but for a smaller one, it can be nearly impossible. That’s where a professional answering service can pay off.
When you hire a business telephone answering service, you get a number of benefits. For one thing, it is much cheaper than having your own phone staff. You also will get people answering the phones who are highly trained. However, one of the biggest benefits is that you can get after hours answering. That allows your customers to call when it is convenient for them, even if that is after your business hours. If you want to pay for it, you even can get a 24/7 answering service.
Your customers are likely to appreciate a live phone answering service, and may be more likely to stay loyal to you if you provide good customer service.