Category: Receptionist Tips

You’re in a meeting, you have another client waiting, your desk is piled with paperwork, and your phone is ringing off the hook. Naturally, you brush everything aside and focus your attention on the person sitting directly in front of you. After all, that is the polite and proper thing to do, right?

You simply cannot do it all so you have to let some things go. You tell yourself that once your meetings are over, you will organize the paperwork on your desk and check your voicemail – giving yourself some time to return all those calls.

Ah, just another day at the office.

Well, truth be told, as important as it is for you to stay engaged in your in-person meeting, all those calls you let just land in voicemail can really hurt your business.

The Importance of Phone Calls

As much as our society loves to text and email these days, the telephone is one of the fastest ways to get things done. You dial a number, someone answers, and you take care of business. That is until someone doesn’t answer.

Nearly all businesses have set business hours. And, during that time, your customers count on being able to reach you. Perhaps it is a new potential customer calling to learn information about your product. Maybe it is someone who is currently a customer, but he or she is having a problem with your product or service. Then again, maybe this person has been faithful to your company and has referred many to you, as well.

Whatever the reason, this goes to show you that phone calls are one important way in which business is handled. So, when you don’t answer, you don’t handle your business. Overtime, the result could lead to devastation for your business.

Why Missed Calls Happen

Rarely do individuals intentionally miss phone calls. Rather, there are other obligations and activities that pull our focus in one direction or another. For instance, you may miss business calls in situations such as these:

▶ Not placing the proper emphasis on your phone calls. In a list of priorities, you may have other items ahead of telephone calls, such as emails. However, answering your telephone when it rings should be a priority.
▶ Deciding to rely on your voicemail since you have it, rather than taking care of the calls yourself. Customers don’t like receiving voicemail and many will choose not to leave a message if they receive it. You may have to consider those calls lost.
▶ Handling business away from your desk, resulting in missed calls.
▶ Packing your schedule too tight that you just don’t have the time. Or, maybe you just need a mental break from all the chaos so you simply ignore the call.

Do one of these scenarios explain why you find yourself not answering every call? Then again, it could be one of the many other unmentioned reasons so many business calls go unanswered every day.

Missed Calls Cost You – Literally

Let’s think about something for a moment. If you have a showroom and it was full of customers, would you walk away and do something else? Would you let your customers wander alone and never be available should they want to buy something?

No way, right? You could potentially miss out on a lot of sales with this approach!

Well, here’s the thing – when you don’t answer your phone, you are, in a way, doing the same thing. You are missing out on potential sales and happy customers. And, well, we all know the value of a happy and satisfied customer, don’t we? Believe it or not, a large percentage of those individuals who call you and don’t get the response they are looking for will often move on to one of your competitors!

You may be telling yourself that it only happens occasionally, but that one missed call among hundreds can cost you. Do it very often, and you will start to feel the pain.

Unanswered Calls Can Have a Long-Term Impact

Your lack of concern over answering every one of your calls can lead to some negative long-term impacts for your business. Having good customer service is hard to beat – and it is not hard to provide. Your customers want to feel important. Unfortunately, when you don’t answer their calls, well – you aren’t doing a very good job of showing them they are valued.

When you lack proper customer service, here’s what often results:

▶ Your company will gain a poor reputation with your customers.
▶ The lifetime value of your customers will decrease.
▶ It will become more difficult to convert leads.
▶ Negative word-of-mouth advertising, as well as poor online reviews and posts, can be detrimental.

Successful businesses value their customers – and they make it known. When your customer is happy and satisfied, they can quickly become a walking billboard for your company. But, watch out – when you aren’t there for them via telephone when they need you – those same individuals can cause you a lot of distress.

What You Can Do About It

You could get technical and analyze all your calls that come in as well as your existing ways of doing business. Of course, you could go out and purchase portable devices so that no matter where you are – in the office or out – you have a phone readily available so that you may stop what you are doing and answer.

Or, you could leave the phone answering up to someone else without having to hire any new employees. That’s right – hiring a virtual receptionist means that you always have someone to answer your call – live – so that your customers know you have their back.

A virtual receptionist will answer your calls and route them as you wish – and you can continue working just as you have been without any fear of missing another call again. Not only does this allow you to better maintain your focus, but it is also a great way to nurture your current customers and convert future customers!

Remember – it only takes one missed call to start causing damage. Don’t put the success of your business at risk.

You can do absolutely everything right in your business – you could have the best service or product, the best logistics team, the most streamlined process, and the greatest warranty – but if you don’t have excellent customer service, then you can’t be the best. And you won’t have happy customers.

Sure, if you’ve got something others want, you will have customers. You will be able to convert leads. And, you will make some money. But, here’s where the importance of customer service comes in – those first-time buyers that you have can quickly become invaluable, one-time buyers if you don’t have the ability to nurture them and retain them.

How do you do that?  Well, with great customer service, of course!

Benefits of Excellent Customer Service

We are going to take a look at all the ways you can provide excellent customer service. But, before we do, it is important that you understand why. You need to understand the benefits of ensuring your customer service is top-notch.

▶  Acquiring new customers costs more than retaining current customers. The reason for this is because current happy customers are more likely to purchase again from you. Whereas new customers need to be sought out, convinced, and so forth.
▶   This is your direct line of support for your customers. Your customer service team will set the tone for your company – how they speak and care for your customers will determine how well your true mission, values, and image comes across.
▶   Satisfied customers are likely to refer others – which means new buyers without any extra work on your part.
▶   Customers are often willing to pay more if they know they are backed by great customer service.
▶  Delight customers and entice them to purchase new products or services. When the customer feels good and confident about a company (thanks to the customer service), this can be prime time for new marketing techniques.

Imagine all of these benefits because you provided something that should automatically come standard for companies – healthy, solid customer service.

Now, let’s take a look at how you can actually implement it.

Be Friendly and Welcoming

It does not matter how bad of a day customer service reps are having – when it comes to communication with the customer, it needs to be friendly and approachable. Remember, these individuals are often the first contact buyers will have with your company.

You want them to feel heard and feel good. You want them to be treated like they matter. And, you want your customers to know that you stand behind your product or service – and that you are willing to do what it takes to make it right.

This is the tone that needs to be on the line when a customer calls.

Be Polite and Respectful

Working in customer service can be a very trying and emotional job. While there are some customers who will contact your representatives for simple questions or comments, often there is a lot of frustration and aggravation involved.

You need customer service representatives that can meet the demands in an effective and resolute manner while remaining polite and respectful. It takes a certain type of person to answer a call with an irate individual and end the call with a happy customer.

Losing manners or being disrespectful should never be tolerated – and is a quick way to lose customers.

Properly Train Your Customer Service Representatives

You should never allow someone to interact with your customers without being properly trained. And, this should be a formal process. Your customer service representatives should be able to fully understand your products and services – how they can benefit the consumer, what they are used for, and so on.

That’s not all, though. Your representatives are representing you and your company. Therefore, they should be trained in what you stand for – and what feeling you are trying to get across to your customers. They should know the proper way to interact, things that should or should not be said, and how they should assist customers.

Your training should aim to have a consistent approach toward customer service. It shouldn’t matter who the customer receives on the other end of the line – the level of service should remain the same every time.

Listen to Your Customers

Listening is something that often gets overlooked. It is easy to do but is not always done. Customers call in and have a problem – they are looking for someone to listen and solve it.

Ideally, your customer service representatives should be able to listen verbally and non-verbally to the needs of customers. Listening for things that may signal that he or she is not pleased with the product or service. And determine how or why. Then, be able to take steps that will allow you to offer a solution without necessarily having to be asked.

Careful listening and picking up on clues is a great way to impress – and retain happy customers.

Offer Appropriate Solutions

When customers call in, they often have a problem, a question, or a concern about your product or service. They want reassurance that they made the right choice – and they want a solution to their situation.

Many times, these customers are not necessarily going to be very happy. This means that the customer service representative needs to be ready with an appropriate solution that will turn that disappointment into gratitude.

The Bottom Line

Customer service is your front line. And, it always needs to be available. Whether you hire your own employees or you seek a virtual receptionist, you need to do what it takes to make sure that every time your customer calls your line – a friendly, welcoming individual with solid knowledge and a solution is on the other end.

The level of customer service you provide will set you apart from all the others in your industry. And, the best part is that it can have the power to make this happen for your company. Yes, really! All you need is the right individual to meet your customers where they are – then turn them into loyal, happy customers.

Your customers are at the heart of your business. After all, if you didn’t have customers, you wouldn’t have a very successful business, right? In a world where options are plentiful, running a business becomes less about the product or service you are selling and more about the good feelings your customers walk away with.

But, sure, we know that you would love to give your customers the attention they deserve, right? Except, how will you get work done if you spend all your time dealing with customers? Well, good news – there is a solution. Hire a virtual receptionist – someone who is professionally trained to provide the utmost assistance and care to your customers.

This allows you the ability to focus on the rest of your business without worrying about your customer relations. Need more convincing? Here’s how a virtual receptionist strengthens your customer relations.

Increase Customer Satisfaction

Happy customers are return customers. Therefore, you want them to walk away completely satisfied. When a customer calls your office, he or she needs to be met with the voice of someone who is approachable and caring – someone who will provide a listening ear and offer a very acceptable solution to any need.

Customers call for all sorts of reasons. They may be unhappy with your product or service. Or, perhaps they are calling for clarification on a product. Maybe the customer is looking to make a new purchase.

Whatever the reason, someone professional – and helpful – needs to answer the phone when the customer calls. If not? There is a good chance you will end up with an unsatisfied customer which can cost you in the long run, especially if this is a regular occurrence.

Develop Competitive Advantage

Not every business makes the smart decision to hire a virtual receptionist. In fact, some just simply let the phone ring – if they are nearby and not busy, great. If not, voicemail can answer and they will return the calls.

If you want to stand out from others and make sure your business gets a good reputation, then you need to make sure you are going above and beyond. Don’t make your customers call into your voicemail! Instead, give them exactly what they are looking for – a live, helpful person.

This type of customer response leaves a very good last impression. If you want to stand out and be different from others in your industry, then you need to allow a virtual receptionist to make it happen.

Build Brand Loyalty

With the click of a button, customers can let thousands upon thousands of individuals know just how they feel about your business. They can write reviews all over the Internet – and there is really not much you can do about it. Well, there is one thing – you can give them great customer service.

Over time, this builds your brand loyalty. This has customers advocating for you. When someone is looking for a recommendation or asking for the best services in your community, these are the customers that give your name. You may have a product or service that many others have – but your customer service will set you apart.

Enhance Customer Experience With UX

Nobody – and we mean nobody – wants to call your office and go through a series of prompts to try to speak to a live person. Constantly having to repeat, “representative,” or hitting the “0” button over and over in an attempt to hear a real voice is aggravating and downright frustrating. It is enough to make some customers dread to even have to pick up the phone to call you.

While you may think you have a well-designed, organized phone system, the user may think otherwise. You should want your customers to be happy – don’t subject them to an automated phone system. Instead, make contacting your company easy by having a live virtual receptionist answer your call.

Strengthen Customer Relationships

Creating a personable relationship with your customers is not always possible, is it? You are busy and, well, you have a business to run. Nobody disputes this. But, if you want your business to do well – and make it last, then you have to build relationships with your customers. So, when you can’t be the one to build it, you need to hire someone who can. This is the best chance you have to create brand loyalty.

A virtual receptionist will give your customers the attention, acknowledgment, and real-life communication needed to make a difference. In addition, this communication with your customers allows you to gain a deeper understanding of their likes, dislikes, needs, and so forth. Which, in turn, can help you with your business.

Improve Lead Response Time

If you are like most growing businesses, you have likely invested in lead generating services. Or, perhaps you have a lead magnet on your website. However you get your leads, the next important step is to respond to them within a reasonable time-frame.

While you are focusing on everything else you have to do while running your business, there is a good chance you don’t respond to leads right away. Be honest with yourself – how often does this happen? Here’s the thing – when you don’t respond to generated leads, your competitors may. This instantly gives them an advantage.

When you hire a virtual receptionist, those leads can be responded to immediately every time. Customers like a quick response. They like a company they can count on. And, when they are ready to move –you are the first one to respond, increasing your odds of conversion.

Your business can only reach its highest success when you have thoroughly satisfied customers. But, let’s face it – you have a business to run and cannot honestly provide the level of customer service that will set you apart from others in your industry.

Hiring a virtual receptionist can be a game-changer for your company. It can leave you with happy customers, build brand loyalty, help you gain insights, and convert leads at a much higher rate. So, what does all of this mean? If you want to strengthen your customer relations, then you need a virtual receptionist.