Communication is integral to providing a positive customer experience. When someone needs to set-up an appointment, ask a question, provide feedback, or resolve an issue, they want to be able to speak to someone as soon as possible. Furthermore, since customers also want assurance that their call matters, if they do leave a message, they expect it to be returned within a reasonable amount of time.
Most people within the United States tend to have their mobile devices close by throughout the day and night. A recent survey showed that this is the case with 91% of Americans. Given this, existing and potential customers tend to be prepared to either make or receive calls and texts on a 24-hour basis.
Even though there may be other contact options available, such as email or completing online comment boxes, 80% of the participants in a recent survey indicated that they would prefer interacting with a customer service representative on the phone. It’s important to note that Forrester reported customer service phone contact received the highest satisfaction rating. This amounted to 69% when compared to other available contact options.
When customers do contact a business by phone, 80% indicated they would hang up if they received a voicemail recording. This is particularly the case when these recordings are heavily scripted. For those consumers that will stay on the line and listen to a recording, 75% would prefer receiving a call-back rather than waiting in a queue. Businesses that provide this option will usually provide an estimated time to return a call. A customer’s positive experience can be further enhanced when these businesses actually do follow through on this time frame.
Even though the reasons for contacting a business will vary, when someone has an important issue to address or a problem to resolve, they want this to be taken care of as soon as possible. If a business representative does respond with empathy and otherwise indicate that the customer’s call is important, 66% of these customers would be willing to continue conducting business with them. Furthermore, these customers would also be willing to spend more money when they have an excellent customer service experience. This amounts to an average of 13% more, which can obviously make a difference when a business is just starting out or expanding their customer bases.
If you’re a small business that needs an after hours call answering service, there are a variety of options available. You may, for example, want to begin with having coverage during lunch time or when your business has closed for the day. In addition to an after hours call answering service, you may also want to consider having a 24 hour answering service to provide coverage throughout the weekend, on holidays, or when you’re on vacation.
When you’re a physician, a psychologist, or another provider that needs to be available for clients on a 24-hour basis, setting up an after hours call answering service can ensure that you don’t miss any of these important messages. In some instances, you may also want to have an answering service pick up your calls throughout the day. Since you want your customers and clients to have a positive experience and realize that their calls matter, using a live answering service can assist with accomplishing this goal.
