‘Call Forwarding ‘ or ‘Patching’ is something we at ‘Answer-it’ get asked about….

This is something that we sometimes get asked about.

Yes we can do this for our clients.  However following the old adage ‘Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.’  The following is why.

If you are using a service such as ours and your calls have been diverted to come through for us to answer on your behalf, it usually for a good reason.  Most of the time it means that you are too busy to take  calls. 

Imagine this

So just for a moment – Imagine this

You make a call to be it to a customer or a client

The person that takes your call says they will ‘put you through’

 You dutifully hold on the line

The ‘operator’ is trying to connect (you are still on hold) but they are unable to.  This could be because the person you are trying to reach is out of area on a mobile phone, in a meeting, or for any other reason, too numerous to mention.  (Voicemail can take some time to connect.)

The ‘operator’ comes back to you to say that the person you were trying to reach isn’t available.  Politely asking if you would like to leave a message so that they can return your call.

Perhaps it would have been better for the operator to simply take a message in the first instance, saving the caller the indeterminable ‘on hold’ time.

Reality

However it is fair to say that call forwarding works for some clients, those who are larger organisations or those that do keep us informed up to the minute of their whereabouts.  Reality is that a lot of our clients are simply too busy to keep us this informed.  If they get a last minute call to attend an important client meeting they are safe in the knowledge their calls are handled professionally.  Safe in the knowledge that even though they aren’t answering the call their competitors certainly aren’t either!

To my mind customer service is all about communication.  This is relevant on so many levels,there is probably a book written all about it by one much wiser than I.

However in my industry we work in communication on 2 levels.  That is customer-facing as well as (for want of a better word) internally.

Our clients clearly believe in communication.  They want their calls answered rapidly in a polite, friendly and professional fashion. They wan ttheir callers, be they customers, prospects, or suppliers to be able to speak to someone that will treat them well and will be helpful and polite.

Sensible Conversations

By having a sensible conversation and relaying the information from the caller back to the client, it means that the service the caller receives on a call back is mostly seamless.  Our client is able to have all the relevant information to hand, having had time to research if necessary, calling back at a convenient time, meaning they are less likely to be interrupted.

The anonymous voicemail and customer concern of when the message theyhave left might get listened to, even worse when they might get a call back.

Information and Knowledge

Conversations and communication likely mean information and knowledge, the sharing of which is rarely a bad thing.
For example if you call a business and get no reply, or even a voicemail, how do you feel?  Wouldn’t you rather speak to someone who can perhaps answer your question or advise who can answer and when they can get back to you?  The clients we support like the more professional image and the great customer service that they are able to deliver, even if they do work alone.

Please visit www.answer-it.co.uk for more information about great communication between you and your prospects, customers and suppliers.

This blog post was written as a guest piece for Graham Frost  

Do you use a mobile phone for business?  Is it the only number listed on your business card or is it one of many? 
If so I would like to think that the information I am about to share might make you rethink.  Having asked people for their opinions about the use of mobile phones in a business environment, the following shares some of these views.  As well as pointing out some pretty obvious downfalls of using a mobile phone for business.

New Technology

Now don’t get me wrong mobile phones are great and the advent of new technology means mobile phone can be a brilliant tool in business.  You can use it as a GPS device, respond to your Email, access the internet and keep up in the world of social media.  Who knows you might even be reading this blog post from your phone!

A Practical Solution or Not?

 However there are some problems.  If you only have a mobile phone number listed as your contact number for your business, for some it raises issues.  From a purely practical point of view using a mobile can be tricky.  If you are away from your landline phone, you are probably engaged in another activity, perhaps a meeting or performing task for a client so probably unable to answer your mobile phone.  It may also be unsafe to do so especially if you are driving, even if ‘hands free.’  If you are out of the office and can answer your mobile phone, it is unlikely you will be able to look up details a caller needs.  It is also unlikely that you are able to make coherent notes, so that you can return the call later.

 Understandably you may think that using a mobile prevents people from having to use voicemail.  If your phone is in a bad signal area or you cannot answer, the issue you were trying to avoid rears its head again.  Callers are forced to listen to that dreary monotonous voicemail recording.

Professional or Not?

Consider also; how professional it is to speak to a client or indeed a prospect when you have little signal and the sound quality is poor.  Worse still if the call is dropped.

 Factor in also that the public perception of a business operating with just a mobile number is fairly gloomy.  Having asked a variety of people it throws up lost of issues of trust and experience.  Clearly the trust factor is huge and for many the thought of paying a company who operate with only a mobile number is a big cause for concern. Questions such as ‘will they be there tomorrow, or if something goes wrong?’ start to crop up.

In fact someone I discussed this matter with told me that if you accept credit card payments the merchant services provider requires the business to have a landline.  Another I spoke to said simply that they found the practice screamed, home office, and unreliable.’ Also making the point that these numbers as well as 0845 or other non geographic numbres can be pointed enywhere.  Others also commented that calling a mobile phone from a landline is or at least perceived to still be expensive by many.

 If many numbers are listed you do risk sending callers of on a bit of a treasure hunt to be able to contact you, dialling number after number with no success can at best be annoying and at worst why should your customers have to ‘hunt’ for you?

Damaging to the Business and Brand?

So the image and branding of you and your business may also be put on the backfoot if you are only displaying a mobile phone number or indeed a list of numbers.

The Answer?

We may be biased but wouldn’t it be better to advertise / display just a landline number, and have it answered efficiently and professionally each and every time someone calls your business?  There are other solutions but we think that http://answer-it.co.uk fits the bill and judging by our testimonials so do many of our clients.

Until next time.

Would your business survive a CRASH Test in customer service?

Contactability

As a business are you contactable.  Can customers reach you when they need something?  Or do they leave a voice mail or have to dial one of the many numbers listed on your business card?

Reliabilty

Can your customers rely on you for consistent service? Surely this is the key to turning them into advocates of your business and recomending you to a contact.

Acceptability

Are your terms and Conditions and they way you trade acceptable to your customers.  Is the way you resolve issues acceptable?

Speed

Do you act quickly in your business.  Are any issues resolved swiftly and without delay?

Helpfulness

We all like to think that we are helpful to our customers, but is it the right kind of help.  Is everyone in the business empowered enough to be able to help?

In recent discussions with various people about ‘Customer Service’ the biggest issue that people complained about was  not being able to speak to someone on the telephone.  People found it very frustrating either listening to the phone ring out or reaching a voicemail. www.answer-it.co.uk can help!