When developing customer support systems, having the right customer service team in place is one of the most important elements of the process. They are the first impression of your company, and can have a huge impact on whether or not customers continue to do business with you in the future. Providing exceptional service to your customers has a lot of benefits but one of the biggest benefits is that exceptional customer service significantly reduces customer churn.
Does churn affect the bottom line?
Absolutely! Statistically speaking, it can cost anywhere between 5-7 times more to acquire a new customer then to retain an existing customer. It is an important in business to work on creating a loyal relationship with your customers to help avoid unnecessary customer acquisition costs. These costs, if incurred continuously, will have a negative impact on your bottom line. This is why you must place a high emphasis on customer service and should consider partnering with a call center to help your business reduce customer churn.
How do you reduce churn?
Here are three ways call centers can help you reduce customer churn:
Provide 24/7 Support
Being available at all times to answer customer questions and concerns is key in retaining a connection to your customer base. Whether you are using a virtual receptionist or answering service, having someone available to speak with your callers no matter what time zone they are calling from is important. In fact, 53% of customers reported being irritated if they don’t speak to a real person right away.
With around the clock coverage, no longer would your customers have to call during specific hours or wait until the next business day to get their questions answered or get the support they need. There is nothing better than being up at 4 a.m., calling a customer service number and having a live person respond instead of reaching a voicemail or a recording instructing you to call back during normal business hours.
But there is even more benefits to 24/7 support. Imagine there is a storm and your company has to close one of their locations. Having an answering service in place that can pick up the extra call volume will keep your business running no matter what time of day or what is going on in your area. This opens up doors of opportunities for you, and helps you get noticed as a company that puts their clients’ wants and needs first.
When you have customer service agents working around the clock, you build your customer base. It helps you remain strong in a competitive environment, adapting a reputation for being “always available.” Come explore our virtual reception services to see how this can be implemented into your organization.
Minimize Customer Service Wait Times
Wait times can be hectic, especially if you’re a small or medium sized business, during the holidays or if you are receiving more calls than you can handle. If long hold times become the norm, it may be time to consider partnering with a call center. Utilizing the services of an outsourced call center will ensure customers have minimal wait times, your phones are being answered professionally and in a timely manner, and there is less stress on your internal team.
Knowing when you need to get additional help for your office or organization is key in delivering the highest levels of customer service. Customers take note of how long they wait. It was found that 69% of customers said they were on hold for too long when seeking help from a company. Do not risk your reputation by having long wait times or instances where customers are never taken care of.
Capitalizing on the opportunity to provide a service where there are short wait times can help your organization get to the next level. Customers appreciate not having to wait, and positive words spread quickly- demonstrating that your organization is consumer-centric and places a large emphasis on making their customers feel as if they are an integral part of its success.
Speak Their Language
Imagine you purchased a product and are having a difficult time getting it set-up or you have some additional questions. Frustrated, you contact the customer support line, only to be informed that they do not speak Spanish. What do you do? Unless your customer service center offers languages other than English, you are losing customers to that same scenario every single day. And with Spanish being such a predominant second language here in the U.S., now more than ever before, customer service teams are in need of bilingual staff.
At AnswerNow, we provide agents that are fluent in English and Spanish to assist with giving your callers the support they need, when they need it. Having a variety of agents available to address all customer needs gives your organization credibility, increases customer loyalty and helps maintain or increase your bottom line. Come explore our bilingual answering services to see how we can be of assistance.
The level of customer service you provide your customers will have a direct impact on your customer churn- positive or negative. Don’t let your customers suffer any longer; consider partnering with a call center. It will not only help reduce customer churn, but will also increase efficiency and create high levels of productivity that will be reflected in your bottom line. For more information on using a call answering service, request a free call center quote today!
