You've just started your business. Now you need to make sure that calls keep coming in. You may not be able to deal with so many callers and you might miss some. You may notice, however, that these callers don't often leave voicemails or call you back a second time.
This is A Huge Mistake!
Customers call because they need to talk with someone about sales or other inquiries. Statics show that 85 percent of customers will not call your business again if there isn't someone to answer the call. You might think about hiring someone to manage your phones after reading these numbers.
But is This The Best Solution?
Sometimes it is better to let others do the heavy lifting for you than to try to do everything yourself. A small business call answering service can be your first line of defense when customers have questions.
Continue reading to learn more about the negative effects that missing customer calls can have on small businesses.
Lose Potential Customers
Callers are often potential customers. They have called to find out more about your products and services. Failure to answer these calls will result in your new clients moving on to your competitors. You can lose one client every day to missed calls, and you will have 365 clients lost by the end. For a single-sales company with high sales, this number can be dramatic.
Rectificate Revenues Fall
Your revenue will drop if you lose customers. UK SME lost L90m due to failing to answer customers' calls. You're wasting even more money if these calls come from your SEO or PPC campaigns that you paid in advance. The simple solution is to contact a phone answering service. Virtual receptionists are used to screening customers' questions and problems without you even having to touch a single button.
Make A Bad Impression
Would You Buy from A Business that does not Answer Your Calls?
In most cases, the answer is NO. Potential customers call to purchase your products or take up the service that you offer. If they don't get a callback, it is easy to assume that the service was poor or not organized. Unfortunately, this is the first impression they will have of your business and you. If you make a positive first impression and leave customers feeling satisfied, they will be more inclined to recommend your business' services to their friends and family. Bad customer service can leave a bad impression on your business. Customers who are unhappy and frustrated will leave negative reviews which can seriously damage your small business' image.
Loss of Confidence
It doesn't matter to a customer if you have a short staff or if your team has been on vacation. It is easy to make clients question your importance by missing calls. They will start to doubt your reliability if they lose confidence. This means they are less likely to recommend your services or return in the future.
Productivity is Reduced
Not only does it reduce revenue but also can affect the productivity of your staff. Voicemails can be left by customers, encouraging your staff to return their calls. Most customers will not return calls unless they have already found the answer elsewhere.
You should now be able to understand the importance of answering every call. It is time to take the first step towards ensuring that your customers are happy and your business is protected. Find a phone answering service provider to help your business with customer queries.