Tuesday, April 29, 2014

How Are Customers Treated When They Call Your Business?

customers treated

Sponsored Post


Is your small business paying enough attention to incoming calls?


Today, with so much focus on social media, email and online marketing, it’s easy to believe that providing customer service through live chat is all you need to do, or that customers are content to contact you by email and wait to hear back from you.


In reality, human behavior hasn’t changed – just the technology.


When customers are frustrated about something, have questions about your product or service, or are ready to buy, their first instinct is often to pick up the phone and call your business. In other words, customers who take the trouble to call you are primed – to buy, to vent, to ask questions.


What’s more, if your business is involved in any kind of inbound marketing program – whether using SEO, click-to-call buttons on your website or in your ads – you’re spending good money to generate those calls from interested customers.


How callers are treated can make all the difference in whether they move to the next stage in the purchasing process, get over their anger, actually make a purchase…or get turned off of your company forever.


So how are customers and prospects treated when they call your business? Here are some questions to ask yourself.


Do They Get Through Right Away?


Set standards for employees to answer the phone on the second ring (third ring at the absolute latest). Make sure all employees—not just the receptionist or office manager—know it’s their responsibility to answer the phone if necessary.


Are They Greeted Pleasantly?


Do the employees who answer your phone sound excited to talk to customers—or like it’s an interruption in their busy day? Remember, customers are the ones who pay your bills, and they have plenty of options to go elsewhere.


Do Employees Have the Tools They Need to Help Customers?


Internal FAQ lists can help employees quickly find answers to questions customers may have. Make sure all employees know how to transfer calls to the proper person.


When Customers are on Hold, Can They Tell?


There’s nothing worse than being put on hold and hearing dead silence, so you don’t know if you’ve been cut off or should continue to wait. Use on-hold messages or music so customers know what’s going on.


Are Calls Returned Within a Reasonable Time?


The faster you can respond to a customer’s inquiry, the more likely you are to make a sale. If you can’t answer all calls, strive to return all calls within 30 minutes—yes, 30 minutes—for best results. Outgoing voice mail messages should state how quickly customers can expect their calls to be returned.


By paying as much attention to incoming calls as you do to your social media outreach, you’ll rapidly see results—and increased sales.


This article, provided by Nextiva, is republished through a content distribution agreement. The original can be found here.


Phone Photo via Shutterstock


The post How Are Customers Treated When They Call Your Business? appeared first on Small Business Trends.




Source: Small Business Trends



How Are Customers Treated When They Call Your Business?

No comments:

Post a Comment