Year by year, providing a great customer experience proves to be increasingly important when it comes to maintaining a competitive edge. From efficiency and availability to empathy and personalization, today’s consumer expects accurate, personalized answers in the now. It’s worth knowing that the right communications partner can deliver all of that and serve to strengthen your overall customer experience. In this blog, we’ll walk through key statistics to keep in mind as you evaluate whether partnering with an answering service is the right move for your business next year.
- Availability
- Efficiency
- Empathy
- Personalization
Availability
It’s not a unique conundrum: you and your staff (obviously) need off-time, but your customers want answers immediately—even if you’re not around. A 24/7 answering service can help you to be more available for your customers whenever they need to get in touch—here’s why you should consider that solution.
Your Callers Expect You to be Available
Availability is no longer a nice add-on to the service you provide—it’s expected. According to CMS Wire, “77% of customers expect to reach someone right away when they contact a company.” When you’re there for your customers when they call, you’re meeting their baseline expectations, not exceeding them.
Availability Gives You a Competitive Edge
Despite the fact that availability is a prevalent customer expectation, not everyone is doing it. In fact, a lot of businesses fail to be available to their customers when they call. In a survey, Pylon noted that “73% of customers were satisfied with their live chat experiences versus 51% for email and only 44% for phone support.” If you want to stand out, be there for your callers.
Availability Could Improve Customer Retention
Ever accidentally upset a customer or provided poor service? You’re not the only one. What makes a big difference, however, is your company’s reaction to a frustrated customer. “74% of customers will forgive an organization’s mistake after they receive excellent customer support” according to languageio. By simply being available for your customers, you make a big difference in conflict resolution from the start.
Efficiency
It goes without saying: today’s world is fast. If you think your day flies by, remember that the same is true for your clients, customers, and callers—and treating their queries and concerns with efficiency makes a big difference in their experiences with your business. The right answering service can help you to do exactly that.
Efficient Service is In
SlickText found that “70% [of consumers] expect seamless experiences across all service channels, including phone, chat, and social platforms.” Assess your current practices and evaluate whether your customer service touch points are truly seamless. If your customers hit roadblocks when contacting your business (leaving voicemails, gaps of time between finding solutions, etc), know that an answering service can serve as an extension of your team to help make more efficient use of your customers’ time.
Your Customers Will Pay for Efficiency
Providing your callers with efficiency isn’t only nice for the sake of customer experience—it’s nice for your bottom line. Forbes mentions that “58% of U.S. customers are willing to pay more for brands that provide better customer service.” A business who answers quickly and accurately immediately raises their perceived value to every caller.
Efficiency is Expected
Just like availability, efficiency is an expectation, not a perk. Thematic highlights how “52% of consumers expect brands to respond to their inquiries within an hour.” So not only do the majority of your potential customers expect you to be available for them the moment they call, they’re also expecting you to get back to them within the hour if you’re not. A 24/7 answering service can solve both of these issues for you in one fell swoop.
Empathy
In an automated, modern world, true empathy stands out. By partnering with a core values-centered answering service, you go from having to make time for phone calls to outsourcing them to someone who makes them their priority. As a result, they’re able to treat your callers with more empathy.
Empathy Equals Retention
Ever had a less-than-kind exchange with a business over the phone? If so, you know that it’s the first step to poor word-of-mouth reviews and maybe even electing against repeating business with them. According to a study by PWC, 60% of consumers are driven to take their money elsewhere after receiving unfriendly service. An answering service trained to lead with compassion helps protect your reputation before frustration ever snowballs.
Empathy Creates Promoters for Your Business
When your customers are so thrilled with your business that they openly and freely recommend it to others, they are called “promoters.” Percepta conducted a study wherein they measured the effects of empathy training on Net Promoter Scores, and it resulted in “+9.27 points in NPS and +4% improvement in [customer] experience." When every interaction feels human and understanding, your callers naturally advocate for your business.
Your Customers Value Empathy
Protel cited a study that found “96% of consumers said empathy is one of the most important elements of positive customer support interactions.” Though AI can certainly aid the efficient side of things, remember that your customers are looking for empathy—which only a person can provide.
Personalization
Personalization in customer service is what makes your customers feel that every interaction has been tailored to their own preferences. When you partner with the right answering service, you ensure every interaction is tailored uniquely to each of your callers.
A Little Understanding Goes a Long Way
A report from Hanover Research noted that “78% of customers say they’re loyal to brands that understand them.” That’s far too close to 100% to be ignored—ensure that your current customer service representatives speak your callers’ language. If not, you might be hurting customer retention.
Expand Your Client Portfolio
When you personalize your customers’ experiences, you retain your current customers and increase the odds that prospective leads elect to do business with you. According to a study mentioned by Forbes, “80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences.” A service that tailors every call builds trust quickly, helping both existing relationships and new opportunities grow.
Personalization Reduces Caller Frustration
One of the biggest hidden benefits of personalization is how much smoother it makes the entire interaction. Gartner found that reducing customer effort has a bigger impact on loyalty than delighting them. Personalized call handling—where agents have context, proper scripts, and notes tailored to your business—cuts down on misunderstandings and helps callers get the right solution on the first try. An answering service trained on your processes ensures callers never feel like they’re starting from scratch.
Conclusion
The data is clear: modern customer expectations aren’t slowing down. They want you available, efficient, empathetic, and personalized—every time they reach out. That’s a tall order for any in-house team to carry alone, especially while running the day-to-day operations of a business. Partnering with the right answering service allows you to surpass these expectations without adding more to your team’s workload. When your callers feel supported in all four areas, your customer experience strengthens, your retention improves, and your business is positioned to grow confidently into 2026.
