In today’s world, small businesses face an unprecedented amount of competition. Brick and mortar shops, online retailers, delivery services, and other businesses make it hard for a small company to stand out and become successful. Regardless of your area of specialty, it’s very likely that there dozens of companies offering services and products that are similar to yours.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to differentiate your business from the competition. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is by using a virtual answering service to create a call center for your business. Call centers can provide many benefits to your business, increasing your profits, and improving your reputation.
When you’re running a small business, maximizing your profits and staying within your budget can make a huge difference. Small businesses often have a small staff, and each employee must take on many tasks. This can make it difficult to provide customized and friendly customer service to every client. In many cases, your staff can become overworked, grumpy, and distracted when they have to handle too many responsibilities on their own. Overworked staff will end up providing a poor customer experience, which can result in lost business and a bad reputation.
Take, for example, a customer who calls requesting information about the services you provide. If the member of staff who takes the phone call also needs to handle the clients arriving at your front desk, they’ll probably handle the phone call quickly, without providing the detailed information that the caller needs. They might even be rude or curt. As a result, the caller will feel like their concerns weren’t taken into account, and they’ll probably head over to your competition. In addition to this, they’ll be more likely to advise their friends and family members against doing business with you. Due to one negative phone call, your business could risk losing profits and customers.
In other cases, your on-site staff could simply be unavailable to answer some of the incoming phone calls. And if this becomes a routine, it could lead to important losses for your business. Research shows that up to 67% of all customers have become “serial switchers”, which means that they will continuously switch to a different business until they find a company that provides a positive customer experience. So, the key to success could lie in becoming that company.
24×7 Availability
Having a call center that’s available 24/7 can do wonders for your business’ reputation. When you hire a great virtual answering services company, they’ll provide operators who have received previous training and already know how to provide great customer service. You’ll simply have to provide the information that they need to answer inquiries and handle each call.
Your new call center will be able to handle many tasks. From scheduling appointments, to addressing doubts, tracking shipments, and checking up on providers; you can customize your call center to fit your business’ requirements. Now, each phone call will be answered by a friendly, professional, and warm human voice. Your customers’ inquiries will be addressed properly, and once the call ends, your clients will feel like their concerns were validated and their questions were answered.
These changes will generate positive customer experience, which will in turn lead to customer loyalty. Satisfied clients will create a positive word-of-mouth reputation for your business. Once these customers walk through your front door, they’ll be greeted by a more relaxed on-site staff that will be able to focus solely on the customers in front of them. Your now-satisfied customers will be quick to recommend your business to anyone who is looking for the services and products that you offer, and your business and profits will grow as a result.
Provide Positive Customer Experience
All this can be achieved by outsourcing to a call center! In today’s saturated, fast-paced market, being able to provide a positive customer experience from the moment a potential client contacts your business can be the difference between your business and your competition. If your clients aren’t satisfied with your customer service, it won’t matter whether you’re offering the finest products or the best services in town: they’ll still switch to a different company that makes them feel valued and understood.
For small businesses, reputation is everything. A bad reputation can make your profits go down, while a positive reputation can lead to growth and expansion. A call center can be the simplest, yet most effective way to enhance your reputation quickly and without breaking the bank.
