When it comes to flexible working, you may be wondering about the best way to communicate with your clients and customers. If you’re working in different places, from the home office to the workplace and in between, you may not have just the one telephone line to deal with and may end up taking calls in many different scenarios.
To text, email, or answer the call? That is the question.
This is a question frequently asked by businesses. What’s the best way to communicate with clients and customers? Getting your communication strategy right, especially during COVID-19, is vital to the success of your business. Before answering the question of what’s best, there are a couple of factors to consider.
Be the first to respond and know your audience
It’s vital that you quickly respond to your clients and customers, especially if they are a new lead. Responding first is critical. 50% of buyers choose the vendor that responds first. However, that doesn’t mean automatically choosing your go-to method of communication though. You need to take into consideration your audience and how they prefer to communicate. For millennials, that might mean texting them. Client and customer communication has also changed dramatically since lockdowns were introduced. According to a report by Xant, while 96% of sales leaders say email is their go-to, email engagement has dropped by 35% after lockdown. Phone contact rates, on the hand, have only dropped by 2%.
Now, with that in mind, you can begin to rethink your communication strategy with your customers and clients. While we’ve put together a table comparing the strengths and weaknesses of texting and emailing, we already know what the best method of communication. Spoiler alert: it’s not texting and emailing.
| Texting | Vs. | Emailing |
| Yes | Quick and easy to do on the go | Depends |
| Yes | Preferred communication method by millennials, who make up 25% of UK population | No |
| 98% | Open rate | 20% |
| 45% | Response rate | 6% |
| Yes | Impersonal | Yes |
| Yes | Susceptible to auto-correct mishaps | Yes |
We prefer phone calls, and so do your customers and clients
Unsurprisingly, research has shown that real-time communication is the most effective form of communication. This means that when you use written communication, you’re sacrificing an essential aspect of communication. If your client or customer is calling you, surely it’s because they want something or feel it’s easier to ask for information over the phone. By not answering the phone, you could be losing out on a new lead and hurt your brand.
At Verbatim, we take our strapline “Your Call – Our Passion” seriously. We understand the importance of being available and nailing first impressions are crucial to securing new leads. We even have a quick video tutorial on making first impressions count. Part of securing new leads and maintaining customer loyalty is answering the phone with a smile. Try doing that without emojis in an email or text! Don’t waster another second, get in touch with us.
