Most businesses value customers as their biggest asset, especially existing ones. This is because not only is it expensive to find new customers, the existing ones are one of the best sources of word of mouth marketing for the company. For the long term survival of an entity, it is therefore important that its customers are satisfied and facilitated appropriately when they have complaints. Having a personalized answering service for your business can be a major solution in this regard.
The Importance
A mere 5% increase in customer retention can
raise the profits of a company by 25% to 95%. This has simple rules, a customer will stay loyal to a business as long as it satisfies them, in terms of its price, utility and quality of product, and the company’s post-sale services. The last point refers to a stage where the user of a company’s product may have complaints or queries regarding the product may be looking for quick answers.
No solution at this stage can be quicker and more comprehensive than having an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, personalized with human response rather than a simple automated answering service, and has the capacity to resolve customer issues immediately to a considerable extent.
While an answering service can have many facets, including email answering, live-chat system, or even social media response, as per one study, around
80% of all business communication is done over phone calls. A standalone IVR system, however, is not enough. There are certain add-ons and etiquettes of an answering service on call that a business must incorporate into its answering service to make it an affective customer retention tool.
Answering Service Must Haves
According to statistics in the aforementioned study, around 71% clients terminate a business relationship due to poor phone etiquettes. It is therefore important that you not only have an answering service, but one that truly satisfies customers. A good answering service must have these features:
Courtesy
The staff attending the phone must be courteous and not exhibit rude behavior. A large number of customers might feel angered by any inconveniences that they have had to face. The call agent must realize that other person is stressed out and should remain courteous throughout to calm the angry customer and not say anything to aggravate them.
Understanding Customer Needs
There is no point of having an answering service if customer needs are not satisfied. The agents must carefully listen to the exact problems a customer has, repeat the problems back to the customer in case there is any confusion, and workout a relevant solution.
Referring Customers by Name
Calling customers by their name can give them a sense of personal attentiveness. This instills a sense of value a company holds for each customer, and goes a long way in making the call an overall satisfactory experience.
Go the Extra Mile
Ask the customer if they are satisfied with the help, and if there is anything else you can help them with. This sends a message that you, as the call agent, are not in hurry and are available in case they have even a minor query.
There is no doubt that having a good answering service goes a long way in helping retain customers and even attract new ones. But when you incorporate it into your business, it is essential to do it correctly. It should not result in customers having to wait for long periods of time and must always carry a real life human element. If done right, this cost-effective method can turn out to be a real game-changer for your business.
