Any organisation wants to present its best image to customers and potential customers to help them win and retain business.
In business, competition is fierce and customers look for excellence in their suppliers and partners.
Despite this, many businesses still don’t take a few simple steps with their telephony to make themselves look as professional as possible.
Here are 5 simple steps to ensure your inbound callers get the best customer experience on the phone:
1. Direct calls somewhere
No-one likes to sit on the phone waiting. Ensure all inbound calls are answered as quickly as possible so that a potential customer doesn’t put the phone down and go elsewhere. If all your employees are busy, a comfort message might be an idea to let customers know their call will be answered as soon as possible.
2. On-hold marketing
What do your customers hear when they are on hold?
An annoying beep? Silence?
An easy way to promote a certain offer or product, direct a potential customer to your website or simply let them know what you excel at is to have a professionally recorded message playing. When on hold, you usually have the customers undivided attention which is a fantastic opportunity to tell them about your business. Bluecube can provide professionally recorded audio-branding for as little as £79.99 +VAT.
3. Out-of-hours policy
It’s a good idea to have an out-of-hours policy for inbound calls when no-one is in the office to answer them. This can be a voicemail message or even a divert to an out of hours mobile number. No one wants to miss an important lead because the call wasn’t picked up.
4. Choosing the wrong number
Depending on the type of business you are, your phone number may deter potential customers. For example, a business that solely operates on a local basis would require a phone number with the local area code. A business that operates nationally would be more suited to a non-geographic (e.g. 0800 or 0330) number so that calls from outside the local area are not put off by your telephone number!
5. Serviced offices
This generally applies to smaller businesses. Serviced offices can offer great services for small businesses however when it comes to telephony, their packages may be a lot more expensive than looking elsewhere. A serviced office may also not release your phone number, which you’ve likely built up a reputation with, if you move office. Make sure you own your phone number from day one!
