Exceptional customer service is important to any business. The better customer service that a company provides, it is more likely that customers will return and spend more. One of the most important parts to a good customer service experience is availability to customers. Smaller businesses may not have the resources to be available to their customers every minute of the day. However, a life phone answering service can provide them with this service. With so many 24 hour answering services available today, how does a business choose one that will be responsible for the communication and customer service of their customers?
Look at telephone answering service reviews
Other businesses that have successfully used a professional answering service are likely to leave good telephone answering service reviews. Reviews can be the easiest way to learn about an answering service company. How the live answering service handles other businesses customers is similar to how they will also handle your customers. Pay attention to telephone answering service reviews involving availability, knowledge around business, and friendliness. These are the things that your customers will appreciate the most.
Learn how the process works
Each live answering service does things differently. Inquire how they will handle your calls. Ask a lot of questions. Will your call associates be handling other businesses calls as well? How will they know which business the customer is calling about? How many other businesses will they be handling? All of these questions are important when choosing your after hours answering service company. If a call associate has many businesses they are answering calls for, they may become overwhelmed and confused.
Test out the call center process
You should actually go through the call process to see the type of service that you are paying for. You will also want to know what your customers will experience. You should ask the call associate a lot of questions about the online check out process. An estimated 45% of U.S. consumers will abandon an online purchase if their questions and concerns are not addressed quickly. An additional estimated 61% of Americans prefer to receive customer service over the phone. Act as if you are a customer who is having trouble with an online purchase and see how satisfied you are with the call center service that you receive.
Understand the pay rate
Different call centers work on different pay schedules. They may charge you per hour or they may charge you per minute that the call associates are communicating with your customers. It is important to understand how you are being charged before choosing a live answering service company to avoid any surprises. You may be able to find out more about pricing in telephone answering service reviews.
Inquire about difficult customers
Every business will experience their fair share of difficult customers. These customers, although tricky, need to be listened to and helped in order to keep their business. Inquire how your possible live answering service company will handle difficult customers. This may even be a great example to try out yourself when calling into the call center. An estimated 78% of Americans surveyed say they have not followed through on an intended purchase due to a bad customer service experience. Do not lose a customer because your call center does not know how to handle difficult customers.
Find out about other services offered
You should also learn about any other beneficial services that your potential company offers. You may be able to include in virtual receptionist services in addition to answering customer?s communications. This is a great way to keep track of customers who have contacted the company. It can also reduce the amount of paperwork that the business owner is responsible for.
Customer service is one of the most important parts of success for any business. Without exceptional customer service, customers are less likely to frequent the business again. Most customers expect a business to always be available to them for assistance. When this is not possible, consider the services of a live answering service. Your customers will always reach a live person who can assist them with following through on their online purchase.
