Why You Should Never Miss A Business Phone Call.
Starting a successful business means being willing to go above and beyond for your customers – which is the reason you should endeavour to never miss a phone call. When you’re a business owner, having the phone ring non stop can sometimes be a hindrance, so you need to find ways to make sure your calls are always answered and messages accurately taken.
You can lose a potential customer, especially if they try to call more than once and nobody picks up.
You can develop a bad reputation if nobody is there to provide customer service and answer important questions.
You put relationships in jeopardy. Business relationships are so important.
You run the risk of making customers feel unimportant.
Some people say that smart business owners will always answer their phone within three rings. This might seem extreme, but it can help. 7/10 people will hang up the phone if you don’t answer, and they usually won’t call back either. Even if you have a messaging machine that kicks in after about 5 rings, people will likely hang up without leaving a message.
This option can be useful for small businesses. You can direct calls so that they come through to your mobile phone, enabling you to answer business calls even when you’re on the go. Not helpful if you’re trying to take a break, but definitely helpful if you have to step out of the office for whatever reason.
You can now invest in virtual office software that ensures you never miss a call and comes with numerous other benefits. If you’re looking at 1800 numbers in Australia, even though you’re in the UK, you can find something suitable. Having numbers on various places around the world will help you to broaden your reach. People are far more likely to call when you have a professional 1800 number too – it’s time to stop using your personal number, or a number that makes you look less professional!
If you really can’t pick up the phone and (luckily) the customer leaves a voicemail, this option gives you what you need to respond as soon as possible. The voicemail will be transcribed into an email, so you have all of the information you need to get back to them and answer their questions.
Hiring a virtual assistant means you’ll have somebody to take care of different admin tasks for you, including answering the phone and taking messages for you. With a virtual assistant, you don’t have as many responsibilities as hiring a real assistant!