No matter what industry you are in, your business is likely to miss calls. A few missed calls may seem insignificant to your bottom line, but those calls can add up and begin to negatively impact your business--and revenue!
In this blog, we'll discuss why businesses miss calls, the impact a missed call can have on your business and revenue, and how to best solve the issue of missed calls. Feel free to jump to the section that you'd like to cover.
Businesses miss calls for three main reasons:
If your business is experiencing one of these situations, it can be stressful to you and your employees, as well as harmful to your business. After all, a missed call is a missed opportunity.
Your business may be too busy to answer customer calls if:
Maybe your business isn't technically missing calls, but still seems to lose callers (and customers). Callers to your business may hang up if:
Many office managers believe that installing a voicemail will solve their missed calls problem, but this could actually be adding to it!
While some companies like to think that a voicemail is good, consider how often you check your business voicemail. Is it every day, every other day, or maybe when you see it has become full? By the time you check your voicemail and call a customer back, they most likely have booked a job or scheduled an appointment with another provider who did answer their call.
Even if you check your business voicemail religiously, you could still be missing out on potential customers. This is because most callers will not leave a voicemail.
Most business owners don't consider missed calls to be a big deal. After all, how much of an impact does it have on potential customers?
While it is true that in today's digital world, consumers do a good bit of shopping online, 80% of business communications take place over the phone.
This means that when your customers call your business directly, they are likely to do business with your company. They've done all the research online, read reviews, and have chosen your business. All you have to do is answer the call!
But what happens when you miss those calls?
You never know what a caller has in mind whenever they dial your business number. They could have questions about hours and directions, or they may be ready to make a purchase, schedule an appointment, or book a job. Missing that call means you are missing out on potential revenue for your business.
If your receptionist misses a customer's call, the caller either hears a voicemail, or an IVR system. Neither of these make a caller happy and can cause customers to feel frustrated.
With missed calls comes poor customer service. And as we all know, people tend to tell their friends when they have a bad experience with a company. Don’t let one upset customer spread their experience with friends simply because you were unavailable to help them.
If your company has a bad reputation, you’re not going to receive as many customer referrals. According to Forbes, referrals are the most valuable form of marketing, and they require no financial investment. Don't let a missed call cost you free word-of-mouth advertising.
Once you've determined the root of your issue and understand how it is impacting the success of your business, it is time to solve the issue and make sure you’re providing exceptional customer service.
There are several options for this, including hiring additional staff, paying employees overtime to take calls after hours and on weekends, working with a 24/7 answering service, or even hiring a virtual receptionist.
If you want to handle things in-house, hiring additional staff and/or paying current employees overtime to handle calls when your business is closed is your best option. Your staff knows everything about your business already, and will likely enjoy the overtime.
Tip: Give your employees some extra training for handling calls and message taking, "Guidelines & Training Tips For Customer Service Agents".
Be sure that your staff doesn't become overwhelmed and that they are able to answer all calls made to your business, even the 2am calls or the ones rolling in on a Saturday night. If they aren't able to, you'll find yourself back in the same situation of missing business calls.
If you want to guarantee all of your calls are answered, consider partnering with a 24/7 premium answering service. An answering service can prove beneficial as they are able to answer any time, including weekends, late nights, and holidays.
A premium answering service will work with you and function as an extension of your office. With a premium answering service, most callers will think they are talking to someone inside your office. What is a 'premium' answering service?
If you want to gradually outsource after-hours calls, consider working with a virtual receptionist. A virtual receptionist is a great choice for any business owner looking to cut costs of a full-time receptionist, without losing the benefits.
A missed call can have a significant impact on your business and eventually your pocket book. Determine which solution is best for your company and work to turn those calls into customers!