Owning or managing a business that directly deals with customers usually means that there are a lot of phone calls to deal with, and this can be overwhelming for employees. Often, the calls are minor and don’t require intervention from high level management. Sometimes, however, a customer or client can call with a serious problem or issue that needs to be addressed immediately. One of the best ways to separate the routine calls from the more important ones is by hiring a live telephone answering service.
One of the top benefits of a live telephone answering service is the positive impact it will have on a business’ customer service reviews. A bad customer experience can cost a company a lot by harming its reputation, and it’s important to be accessible to clients. The typical business only hears from 4% of dissatisfied customers, and improving client accessibility can increase this number, giving a company the chance to fix the problem and turn a dissatisfied customer into a satisfied one. Studies show it takes 12 positive customer reviews to make up for one bad review, so a company should do everything it can to ensure clients have an effective way to make complaints.
Many types of businesses can benefit from having a professional answering service to sort through calls. Here are some of the top industries that utilize live telephone answering services to handle customer communication.
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1. Online retailers
Lots of products today are sold online and the customer shops directly from their home computer. If there’s a problem though, customers like to be able to speak with someone about it. A quality answering service can facilitate effective communication with customers and increase their chances of returning in the future. A 5% increase in customer retention translates to about a 125% increase in profits, so the answering system might even pay for itself.
2. Medical offices
An after hours answering service is important to give clients who have medical emergencies a chance to speak with their doctor. Some people might call just to confirm an appointment, but others who have a medical question can be transferred to a physician who can help find a solution.
3. Property management companies
These companies deal with tenant problems like broken appliances and other maintenance issues. Some may be urgent and an answering service can ensure tenants can contact someone in an emergency.
4. Heating and cooling providers
If a client has a heating issue in the early hours of a cold day in January, this is an urgent problem that requires attention right away. A virtual receptionist can take the call and forward it to the appropriate worker who can resolve the issue.
5. Law firms
Legal services are required by people at all times of the day, and if someone has just been in an accident or requires immediate legal counsel, an answering service is necessary to take these calls. Clients will often choose the first firm who is available, so the firm that is most client friendly will get more business.
6. Financial management firms
If a client is reviewing his or her financials and discovers a billing error or an unapproved charge, they usually want to speak with someone right away. An answering service will receive the call and can forward it right away to the appropriate person.
