Missed Calls – What Impact Do They Have On Your Business?

Excellent customer service creates a competitive edge, it builds customer loyalty and is a primary factor in retaining customers. It is also the source of sales opportunities, because it’s easy to forget about the telephone and the important part it plays in securing customer orders, building the relationship and trust at key stages of the customer process.

When customer calls are continually missed, it starts to impact on the company’s ability to deliver effective customer service and the level of service the customers actually receive.

Excellent customer service stands a business apart from its competitors, but how do you deliver that customer service?

Is it through email, the website or social media?

If a customer chooses to make a telephone call, what happens when they can’t get through?

• Frustration levels increase
• Perception of the company becomes negative
• The customer begins to feel undervalued

Given what is at stake, why would a company miss a call?

• Insufficient resources at peak times
• Other means of communication supersede the telephone
• Customer calls are received after business hours of opening
• Having a communications system that fails to meet customer demand

So, what can the impact of missed calls be?

According to BT, the impact of continually missing a call can be immense.

• Customers will only try to call a company twice without getting through before taking their business elsewhere
• One fifth of callers will only call once
• 77% of SMEs offer flexible working and 45% hot desk, so not getting calls to the right person is a challenge
• An estimated £90 million is lost every year due to missed calls.

“If you are missing just 4 calls per day, with an average order value of £100 and your closure rate is 1 in 4, then an inefficient phone system could be costing your business £2000”

If an effective communications system is something which has been overlooked in your organisation, ask yourself these questions …

What does a missed call cost the business?

How do you measure the performance of calls within the business?

What value do your customers place on being able to speak to someone directly?

Do you take orders or provide advice and support over the telephone?

Do customer calls lie at the heart of what the business does?

There are many low cost solutions to make the experience a better one for your customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders.  Call forwarding, installing extra phone lines and on hold marketing are just a few ways in which businesses can easily improve the customer experience. Hosted Voice Systems increase accessibility to its team, all at a relatively low cost.

Whatever the budget, Fifteen Group can help every business and organisation achieve better results through their communications system.

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