The phone rings but you can’t answer it. Maybe you’re on the other line or simply too busy to pick up. No big deal, right? It’s just one phone call. But does it happen more than once a day? How many times a week? A month? Those calls add up and your lack of availability can quickly backfire and cost you money. It seems far-fetched, since there are so many other ways to contact you, but believe it or not, customers still prefer human-to-human interaction over the phone.
The types of calls you’re missing
Of course there are a million different kinds of calls that come into your business – partners, vendors, etc – and those are important. But when it comes to growing your business, the most important calls come from your clients, both existing and potential. Let’s take a look at the number on potential clients.
The leads you’re missing out on
Roughly 80 percent of business communications take place over the phone. Sure, people go to your website to find out about your business, but when it comes to placing orders or signing up for service, they want to talk to someone on the phone. So, what happens when you don’t answer? Approximately 85 percent of people whose calls aren’t answered won’t call back, meaning they’ll take their business elsewhere. Imagine all that additional revenue lost, simply because you can’t pick up.
The customer experience you’re not providing
The second type of calls you receive are from existing customers. Maybe they’re having issues, have a complaint or need some type of help from you. The way you handle those calls is pivotal. You want to provide excellent customer experience because that is what’s expected. And if you fail, the consequences could be dire. About 70 percent of people will stop dealing with a business whose customer service is poor. And upwards of 60 percent of customers will go do business with another company – one of your competitors that is more properly equipped for customer experience.
Not to mention, this impacts your business from a brand standpoint. People will tell 1.6 times as many people about bad customer service than good experiences. So not only are you losing your existing customers, word-of-mouth about your business is bad.
Why it’s important to keep existing customers
As a business owner, you know that it costs more to bring on new customers than it does to keep existing ones. In fact, it costs as much as five times more to acquire new customers versus retaining existing ones. And did you know that a mere 5 percent increase in retention rates can create a 25 to 95 percent extra profit? You want a good blend of bringing in new customers as well as keep existing ones. Many a good business has failed trying to scale too quickly.
What’s the solution?
Now you know just how important calls are to your business. But you’re so busy running your business, it’s impossible to answer every call. And you want to be able to put your phone down after business hours, but it’s still ringing off the hook. That’s when you need to consider an answering service. Live operators will answer your calls when you can’t and take detailed messages that are then sent to you. This gives your customers and leads the human touch they want, while freeing up your time and letting you prioritize who you call back.
VoiceNation’s answering service does it all
If you’re looking for an answering service that can answer calls but also perform more complex tasks, VoiceNation is what you need. Our operators will not answer calls and take messages, we’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, that’s including weekends and holidays! But our operators can also forward calls, process orders, set appointments and more – at no additional cost to you. Our affordable pricing includes all of our features, including bilingual operators. Give us a call or learn more or sign up for our free trial. 877.679.3777.