Regardless of which type of business you’re running, you’re bound to have plenty of competition. In the past, customers had less options and limited resources to find out which companies offered the services that they were looking for. That meant that most small businesses had a small but solid customer base and didn’t have to worry too much about competition or gaining new customers. On the other hand, they also didn’t have to worry excessively about not losing customers, since most clients stuck with the same business for a long time.
But the advent of new technologies completely changed the landscape for businesses all around the world. These days, if a customer isn’t satisfied with your company they can simply do a quick internet search to find a new option. As a result, the stakes are higher than ever before and you need to ensure a positive customer experience for all your clients. The good news is that simple techniques, such as outsourcing your calls by hiring a virtual answering service, can make everything much easier.
Customer service is one of the most important factors that affect customer experience. You can pay for a marketing expert to revamp your business’ image, create witty advertising campaigns, and pay for ads in every newspaper – but if you’re not providing a positive customer experience, your business won’t grow.
Increasing your profits isn’t simply about generating leads; you have to be able to convert those leads and retain your customers in the long term. Once you’re able to achieve this, your business will grow organically.
How to make sure your business converts more leads
When you advertise your services, you need to prepare for an increase in the volume of inquiries that you receive each day. This makes sense, since the whole point of a marketing campaign is to raise your company’s profile and attract new customers.
If a potential customer sees an advertisement for your business and calls your office unsuccessfully, they’ll probably end up becoming a lost lead. After all, most of us wouldn’t bother calling the same business many times if they don’t pick up the phone. Why bother? There are many other options available.
But there’s something worse than missing a customer’s phone call: having your staff treat callers brusquely or without enthusiasm. Even if the caller was genuinely interested in your business, being on the receiving end of a phone call with a grumpy, stressed employee will probably discourage them from actively seeking out your services.
Hiring an answering service can change all that in no time. Virtual answering services function as remote call centers, providing an open line of communication for anyone who wants to call your business. You can hire a service that offers a 24/7 virtual reception to ensure that any potential customer who calls your business is greeted by a warm, friendly voice regardless of time and date.
Your new virtual answering operators will be available 24/7, since they will be based in different parts of the world. Operators receive a thorough customer service training before getting any assignments, which means that your business will have professionals handling each call.
What else do answering services offer?
Virtual answering services have many more benefits that can translate into a greater lead conversion. Say, for example, that a caller has an inquiry that needs to be handled by a certain member of staff. In these cases, the operator can either take a message and deliver it promptly, or transfer the call to the right person. You can customize these options and many more.
You can also hand over other tasks to your operators. They can handle collections, follow up on customers, track shipments, contact providers, amongst others tasks. Virtual answering service operators are highly skilled and trained to provide great customer service while treating callers with kindness and professionalism.
Deciding to hire a virtual reception company could make a tremendous difference to your business. You’d be able to provide high quality customer service without having to go through the time consuming and expensive process of hiring and training new staff. Your new operators will help convert leads for your business, increasing your profits and customer retention. Your business’ popularity will go up in no time!
In a fast-paced world that requires more effort to succeed than ever, hiring a virtual answering service can make you stand out from your competition. Sooner rather than later, you’ll be attracting new clients and your business will be more successful than ever.
