Businesses must consider missed calls. Owners do not like this to happen but it is a reality. Even in this digital age, phone calls are still important even if there are other alternative means like emails and social media.
Here are some statistics to show the impact of unanswered calls on a business:
- 80% of business is done through telephone calls
- 85% of missed calls will result in clients not calling back
- 60% of clients when unanswered will take their business somewhere else
- 80% of overseas clients will not trust personal information with call centers
- Most people will talk about bad customer service than getting good service
- About 30 billion of business is lost due to missed calls every year
Given some statistics on missed calls, companies should be alarmed about how much revenue is lost due to such inefficiency. Missing phone calls whether it is for complaints or inquiry is bad customer service. This can have a major toll on the business.
Business owners have options on what to do about missed calls and boost business profitability at the same time. An answering service provider is one solution to such a problem.
What are Missed Calls
The telephone is still an important way to communicate when customers need something or want to get things done. It is a valuable tool to assist customers thus to miss those important calls is the last thing a business wants to happen. It frustrates the customer and leaves problems unresolved and above all, a business can lose clients. Missing calls is also very unprofessional and clients do not appreciate this.
Missed business calls happen when:
- Customers hand up after losing interest due to long wait time
- The call is on queue and a call back never happens
- The customer is given an option to leave a message and this is not attended to
Customers’ productivity slows down when they get a missed call, especially on an urgent matter. For the business, the worst thing comes from missing profitability. Not answering a call leaves money on the table – no sale, no connection. This is no way to thrive and grow a business.
Some Reasons Companies Have Missed Calls
Below are some reasons why companies cannot answer calls:
- Insufficient or untrained staff to handle the task
- Too occupied with other customer service needs that calls are ignored or unattended
- Priority is on digital communication rather than the telephone calls
- The company lacks the technology and technical personnel to do the task
- Employees ignore phone calls intentionally
- People rely on the voicemail system rather than taking the calls themselves
- There is no staff to take care of after office or weekend calls
- Technical glitches happen frequently on phone lines
Missed Calls is Lost Revenue
Companies or business owners should realize that missed calls will cause a dip in profitability. Lost calls affect the business both short- and long-term.
When clients do not call back, that is already revenue lost for a day. Adding up the number of calls that are missed, this would come up with a considerable amount. In the long term, missed calls affect the survival of the business. When customers do not get sufficient customer care, they go somewhere else. Poor customer service is outrightly felt by customers and this is quite detrimental for the business. Some customers will not even complain, they will just leave.
How to Remedy Unanswered Calls
Calls that go to auto-attendants, that is a voice reply telling the caller what number to press for a task – is one option to fix unanswered calls. However, if the extension will have no one to answer it is still the same predicament. Some customers do not like talking to an automated voice, they want a live person to answer them.
Below is a process to follow on how to remedy lost calls:
- Know what numbers customers are calling.What numbers are people calling? This information will allow the setting up of dedicated phone lines for particular tasks like sales, complaints, inquiries, etc.
- Analyze call frequency and volume
How many calls are made and how often to a business process? How do you want the call to be managed? There are options for this – call forwarding, notification to the concerned person, or immediate support. - Evaluate existing solutions
See how current staff and technology can handle the workload. Management can make a decision based on call sources, volume, frequency, and processes. Is there a need for dedicated people to handle the calls? Is an answering service a more cost-efficient solution? - Get external help or stay with in-house support
This is a critical decision and both solutions have their pros and cons. The hiring of a live answering service have the following benefits:
- Extension of business hours
- Long-term it is cost-effective
- Boosts customer service quality
- Provides a pleasant customer experience
On the other hand, an in-house support can:
- Provide consistent internal control over customer service
- Less training since employees know company processes
- Eliminates culture barrier between operator and customer
In conclusion:
Phone calls are opportunities that cannot be missed. They are critical to the business. Missing calls show weak customer service and can cost revenue and hurt the business brand in the long term.
Business owners can do something about this predicament. Following the 5-step plan will help to best decide which option to take – an in-house one or an answering service. Put the business on the right road to success to let the business thrive.
For your answering service needs or any related one, please contact Barbara’s Answering Service. We are here to assist you!