Almost everyone can agree that they would rather speak to a real person on the phone than deal with an answering machine or automated message.
Your customers have the same opinion — they would much rather speak with a real person than a machine when trying to communicate their issues.
A caller who gets sent straight to voicemail becomes defensive and impatient, which leads to a negative impression of your business. The importance of live telephone communication in business can’t be understated. Here’s why.
While a voicemail system is OK for basic calls and inquiries, such as getting directions and office hours, other situations require a real-time response.
Customers who do not have their needs met within a reasonable time frame get impatient and upset, especially if they reach an answering machine. People who are upset may vent their frustrations online, such as on social media platforms.
Negative reviews and comments can even stop potential customers from coming to your business. Those customers may move on to a competitor in the hopes of connecting with someone who can help them.
Even if your phone agent is unable to resolve the immediate problem, the sound of a human voice reassures callers that they will be listened to and they won’t be stuck on hold for hours while trying to communicate their issue.
Your tone of voice lends dimension and emotion to words, thereby elevating the effectiveness of the communication.
Voicemail messages have none of that and certainly don’t allow for the same type of interaction as live answering does.
In some situations, a caller will have sensitive and confidential information to pass along via the phone call. There’s no question some callers would be uneasy giving out this information to a machine.
Callers want to speak with a live person they can trust to keep their sensitive information confidential. No one wants to leave a sensitive message on a machine that could be accessed by anyone in the office.
As our world develops quickly around us, there are more convenient and fast ways for callers to communicate their needs. But a human connection is a nice touch that can leave more of a lasting impact on someone throughout their day. By employing a live answering service, your callers can feel valued and will feel as if their problems matter to you.