Have you ever spared a thought for the people who really want to use your service, but can’t contact your business during the routine 9-5? The ones who are working during that time, too busy to make a call or just need to be able to chat to you once the kids are in bed? It’s a more common situation than you think, and every year you may lose hundreds of potential customers just because you stop answering your phones at 5pm.
But what if you could take calls at any time of day or night? How would an out of hours call handling service improve your customer service offering and help your business grow? And what if you didn’t have to be the one doing the call answering?
Increase Sales
In the modern world, customers have all sorts of options when it comes to buying products and services, from physical stores to online ordering. But phone calls are still a very important part of the sales process. Many people still prefer talking to a real person when they’re considering a purchase, especially when it’s a big-ticket item or a service. They want to be able to ask questions, clarify details and overall make sure the choice is right for them before they part with their hard-earned money. It can be the difference between buying and walking away. For businesses, this means answering calls and responding to queries is critical to increasing sales and improving revenue growth. And don’t think that having a voicemail gets you the same results – most people won’t leave a message if their call goes unanswered, so if you don’t have someone available to answer the phones, you’re likely to lose sales. An out of hours call handling service means no call gets missed, and you can convert more sales than ever.
Improved Customer Service
The world of business is changing. As competition becomes ever-more fierce, new technologies rise and the way we operate changes, customers come to expect more and more from your brand. It is becoming increasingly common for consumers to expect immediate answers from businesses at any time of day, with most customers only waiting an hour for a response before they move on to a competitor. For most businesses, this isn’t something that’s achievable all the time during working hours, let alone out of hours as well. But an out of hours calling service can make sure all queries are answered quickly, and can improve the overall customer service experience of your business. Even if the question can’t be answered right away, customers will feel as though their query is being handled and they are well looked after.
Look More Professional
It’s not uncommon to find big brands working the phones well beyond the 5pm shut off time. As a result, people expect established businesses to be able to do this, and see the lack of it as a limitation of ‘the smaller business’. Around 33% of customers will be impressed by a small business with 24-hour phone support, and believe that having it means you’re a larger, more professional business. So if you want to compete with bigger businesses, out of hours telephone support can boost reputation, without any actual growth or significant investment.
Does This Mean I Have To Answer the Phone 24/7?
Of course not! We know how busy your life is as a business owner. You’ve got a lot of balls in the air already, and trying to add 24/7 call answering into the mix might cause you to drop a few. Plus, we all need time away from work to relax, decompress and generally enjoy our leisure time. But while you’re doing that, it doesn’t mean your phones should go unanswered. Instead, all you need to do is ask for help.
At Verbatim, we know how much your business could benefit from out-of-hours call answering, which is why we offer a bespoke, 24/7 call answering service for businesses. With our help, you can take the stress out of handling out of hours emergencies, offer better customer service and still get your R&R time, all while your business phone keeps ringing. Our out of hours service can handle emergency calls, customer enquiries and more – whatever you need it to really. For more information, just get in touch with the team today.
