Is there anything more annoying than being ignored? No one likes to be shut out. When people feel like they aren’t being paid attention to, they begin to feel devalued and even demoralized. Believe it or not, you run the risk of putting your customers in such positions when you don’t promptly return their phone calls.
Consider the fact that, in 2018, there are multiple ways to contact someone. We have email, social media, texts and various messaging apps. It’s virtually impossible to be inaccessible! So, you better believe that if someone calls your business and leaves a message, he/she won’t be very patient in awaiting a reply.
The bottom line is that returning phone calls should be a top priority at your business.
For many consumers, your promptness or lack thereof will make or break the customer relationships. When a call is returned quickly, it conveys both your professionalism and respect for the customer’s business. By today’s standards, a call that goes unreturned for more than 24 hours is a suggestion that the business doesn’t need or care about the customer’s business.
Never forget that consumers have options. And with the internet, locating another option is a process that takes mere seconds! To avoid losing potential customers to your competitors, be sure to put a call returning policy in place that insists upon a maximum 24 hour time frame. Understandably, there may be instances when it may take additional time to meet the customers’ needs. In such cases, a phone call within 24 hours should still be made.
Your initial returned phone call acknowledges the fact that you have a customer waiting.
Your call should include a thank you for the original call and an explanation as to how long it will take for the customer’s need to be met. Customers will appreciate this even if their needs can’t be met right away. It’s your respect for the individual’s time and effort in calling you that you will be showing. It can go a long way!
“As a rule of thumb, it has been advised that business professionals should return calls within 24 hours,” says VoicemailOffice.com, “If for any reason a prompt callback is not possible, for instance, if it is known that the call may be lengthy and the individual does not have time to talk until another day or so, they should still leave a brief voicemail message to acknowledge receipt of the call and advise when they anticipate being able to have the discussion. Additionally, voicemail messages should be checked at least once a day, if not more.”
At MeloTel, we know you can’t take every call that comes your way.
Many business owners can’t get to their phones at various points throughout each of their work days. As a result, they find themselves inundated with voicemails at the end of each day. Some messages “lost in the sauce”. And this can create negative customer reactions.
With MeloTel’s VoIP-based Commercial Phone Services, you will automatically be able to take advantage of Voicemail to your Email. It’s a fantastic feature that sends all of your voicemails to your email inbox as mp3 files. It makes it virtually impossible to ever overlook another message again!
For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website!
