It’s been years since “typical” business hours were from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Not only are we seeing more businesses that run up to 24 hours, but we’re also seeing businesses with inconsistent hours day-to-day, Monday through Friday.
For example, some businesses have the same hours Monday through Wednesday and Friday, but close an hour earlier on Thursday. Other companies might have long breaks in the middle of the day where they are closed for a few hours from noon to 2:00 pm.
If your business has similar lapses in open hours, there is a very real possibility that you’re losing money when callers are sent to voicemail or greeted with an automated system in your absence.
Despite the rise in other forms of communication, businesses still receive up to 80% of their incoming communication over the phone. 85% of the time a call is missed, the caller will not call back, and 75% of people will not leave a voicemail.
Excellent customer service remains one of the most important services a business can offer. 70% of consumers end relationships with businesses if customer service is poor, and about 60% of these people will go to a competitor. Using an answering service during the hours you’re closed can help fill the holes in your company’s customer service.
Additionally, having an answering service as a resource for your business can increase productivity up to 50%. It’s also an especially useful thing to have if you experience moderate to high call volumes during the hours your business is closed.
This service can also help prevent the money you spend on other investments from going to waste. For example, your AdWords dollars could be paying off by bringing in higher call volumes. But if those calls come in when you’re not answering your phones, they end up going to waste. As a second example, let’s say you expanded your product line or service offerings. If you have customers calling in response to your advertisements to ask you questions about a new product or service, but you’re not there to answer the phone, you could lose those sales to competitors.
To learn more about how an answering service can fill the gaps in your customer service, call 800-980-9770.
Source of statistics: http://www.answer-4u.com/news/missed-telephone-calls-cost-your-business/
