Why Customers Prioritize Being Able to Speak to a Live Person

Why Customers Prioritize Being Able to Speak to a Live Person

Whether customers are purchasing a product or calling for product support, they tend to respond more positively when a live representative is there on the other line. When customers deal with recordings, they may feel quickly frustrated and devalued as clients. Therefore, investing in an answering service and live chat support for your business could be a big boost for your sales. Here is a look at what customers gain from this approach.

A real sense of importance

By simply offering the help of a live person at all hours of the day, your business is making the statement that it truly values customer calls. This sentiment does not carry as much meaning when it is expressed by a pre-recorded voice followed by a touch-tone interface.

Direct answers to questions

Customers do not want to sit through long menus of options when they call for help. Being able to directly ask an expert the answer to a question will provide the customer with a more positive experience that may promote returning business.

Increased product value

While it does take a larger investment to have live answering services for your business, customers will feel that the products they buy have more inherent value with the backup of live support.

Brand authority

The simple interaction of a customer asking how a product works can give your business more authority than competitors who do not provide live customer service over the phone. You can remain one step ahead by prioritizing customer service, emphasizing the importance of customer satisfaction for long-term business success.

Contact One Call Center can give your customers the live interactions they expect without a high cost to your business. To see how we can help you maintain strong customer relationships, visit our website or call us at (800) 278-3347.

Why the Human Nature of Customer Service Has Remained the Same Over the Years

Why the Human Nature of Customer Service Has Remained the Same Over the Years

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

The surface of customer service has changed significantly with new technologies, but the basic element of successful customer interactions remains the same. Human nature is an integral component of customer service, because all people desire the personal communication that comes with a positive customer experience. Below is a closer look at why the fundamentals of customer service have been unchanged for years.

Understanding customer expectations

When customers feel that someone has gone above and beyond to satisfy their needs, they are more likely to return for future business. Even an act as simple as getting a product from the back room or offering a tutorial for a new product will make a big difference for your clients. You should focus on training your staff to understand and meet customer needs with these small acts so that each client feels valued.

Changing mediums with the same results

You may be using new tools to interact with your customers, but the expectations are relatively the same. As you connect with customers through online media, it is still important to put what they want first. Use social media as an opportunity to gather helpful marketing information without pushing sales too aggressively through these avenues. This way you can create a custom approach that reaches customers without making them feel like walking dollar signs.

Marketing risks worth taking

When you do reach out to customers through new sources such as Twitter or Facebook, you may be communicating in a way that is unlike your other marketing strategies. Remember that no harm will come of new communication, and the human element is what matters at the end of the day.

Contact One Call Centers can return the humanity to your business with live chat support and around-the-clock answering services to boost your customer service without extra staff members. Call us at (800) 278-3347 or visit our website to learn how we can help you succeed in today’s marketing environment.

Essential Technology for Every Call Center

Essential Technology for Every Call Center

Blog/ Customer Service/ Marketing and Sales/ Small Business

In order for call centers to operate successfully, a number of technological features are required to streamline service and make the process more efficient for operators. Most small businesses are not equipped to house call centers of their own, because all of the pieces of technology are essential for daily operations. Therefore, many small businesses rely on dedicated call centers to provide around-the-clock customer service with help from these technologies.

CRM Solution

With CRM solution on-hand, operators can look back to earlier information in the call or see previous outcomes of customer calls. This helps avoid repetition in the customer interaction and find the source of the problem faster.

Call Recording

Quality-assurance is a must for call centers, because operators represent a valuable section of the customer service experience. Call recording helps operators identify their strengths and weaknesses in speaking to customers and offering solutions. This results in more positive customer experiences in future calls.

IVR

While it is important for customers to have live representatives to speak to, there are some elements of over-the-phone business that do not require a person to person interaction. The IVR covers these areas to allow customers to manage their interaction with voice response for self-service.

Workforce Management Application

Call center staffing needs to be determined by projected calls within a certain timeframe, and these are calculated with workforce management. With this application in place, call centers can ensure that representatives are readily available when they are needed, but that the center is not overstaffed, which drives up the cost of services.

Contact One Call Center is equipped to take on your telecommunications needs with the excellent customer service that you expect for your small business. To learn how we can help you manage your presence outside the walls of your business, visit our website or call us at (800) 278-3347.

How Small Businesses Can Build Their Brand Personalities

How Small Businesses Can Build Their Brand Personalities

Blog/ Marketing and Sales/ Small Business

As a small business owner, you might have challenges creating a brand and selling it with your web presence. You may be so overwhelmed with the day-to-day operations of your business, that it is hard to develop a personality for your brand that really engages customers. Below is a look at the ways you can rethink your brand personality to build a presence that works for you.

Show your brand in action

Your business’s website and social media pages will speak volumes about the personality of your company, and the items that customers see first will be the most impactful. In addition to an easy layout and pages that can be navigated intuitively, customers will want to see pictures of your business in action. Whether you are showcasing a product or service, you should show images of real people (not stock photos) who represent the clientele you want.

Offer tips with an on-site blog

To boost traffic to your website and connect to customers on a more personal level, you might start a blog related to your small business. This does not have to offer advice directly related to what you do, but it should tie into your own services and boost your credibility as a brand and authority within a certain field. When you do write blogs (or outsource them), you will want to make sure that the language is friendly and approachable rather than relying on corporate ad speak.

Think up a great motto

A simple motto can give your business a memorable identity that stands the test of time. Even as web design trends and customer demands change, a great company motto will hold up and represent a brand that customers will keep coming back to.

With the expert guidance of Contact One Call Center, you can find the marketing approach that works for your small business and back it up with excellent customer service around-the-clock. To contact us for a look at our services, visit our website or call (800) 278-3347.

Finding an Alternative to Cold Calling

Finding an Alternative to Cold Calling

Blog/ Marketing and Sales/ Small Business

Cold calling is parallel to door-to-door soliciting in the world of marketing; it is largely unwelcome and considered an antiquated way of generating new sales leads. Unfortunately, many business owners and sales managers are unaware of the modern solutions for new business relationships, leaving them to rely on the methods of the past. Read on to discover the better alternatives you might use to build relationships and find new prospects for your business.

Social media tracking

Social media has replaced many facets of business—including networking. Using social media update trackers such as Google Alerts and HootSuite will allow you to see valuable information about your prospects so that you open new opportunities for marketing.

Social media relationships

While social media can be significantly helpful in observing trends and tracking potential leads, it is also beneficial for direct interactions. You should reach out with personalized messages through social sites to connect with prospects in a welcome way. Just be careful not to overdo it with social media, sending out high volumes of messages and blasted messages with no personal touch.

Web presence management

Aside from social media, you should keep a strong social presence on your business’s website and blog. With regular updates that engage your existing customers, you may actually attract the attention of new prospects without any extra work. You will be doubling up your marketing efforts in this way, because you are reaching out to your clients and maximizing your exposure in your industry simultaneously.

For a closer look at modern solutions in marketing and customer service, check out Contact One Call Center. We serve businesses across the country with answering services, ecommerce, and more helpful solutions that can be personalized to your unique needs. To contact us, visit our website or call (800) 278-3347.

The IRS, the DMV, and How Customer Service Reflects On More Than You Think

The IRS, the DMV, and How Customer Service Reflects On More Than You Think

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Can your small business learn a thing or two from the IRS or DMV? Of course it can! These two essential companies are known for offering notoriously bad customer service. This reputation reflects on much more than just customer service, though, which is why you should consider working with a call center to improve your company’s relationships with clients:

What is Bad Customer Service?

There are many elements involved in maintaining a strong and successful business. Customer service is one of these elements, but unfortunately it sometimes gets ignored. Every business aims to provide products and services that clients will want to purchase again and again. But in order to ensure that customers are happy and getting the most out of their purchases, it is important to provide ways for customers to interact with representatives of your company. Bad customer service occurs when businesses neglect these responsibilities and leave customers feeling helpless when faced with a problem.

How Can Bad Customer Service Impact Your Business?

Most people either have or have heard a horror story about dealing with customer service at the IRS or DMV. The horrible part is that customer service seems to be non-existent in these locations! With so many customers coming in and out daily, the IRS and DMV put customer service on the backburner in order to stay afloat. Unfortunately, this leaves many consumers with a bad impression of both of these industries. Bad customer service makes it difficult for customers to make a connection with a business, potentially leading them to bring their business elsewhere.

How Can You Improve Customer Service?

If you do not have time to focus on customer service, start working with a call center. These companies provide answering services, secure messaging, after hours support, and much more. Your customers are sure to feel a stronger connection and more loyalty when their questions and concerns are addressed in a timely manner.

Contact One Call Center can help your company reach out to customers! Contact us at (800) 278-3347 to learn about our answering services, after hours support, and secure messaging and find out how they can improve your company.

Why All Your Employees Should Be Customer Service Savvy

Why All Your Employees Should Be Customer Service Savvy

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Are your employees customer service savvy? If not, you might be losing business! Customer service is an essential part of every company, which is why every employee should know the basics. Take a closer look of the advantages of training every employee in customer service:

You Never Know When an Interaction Will Occur

Customer service is always important. This is especially true for today’s businesses dealing with the modern consumer. Customers now have a variety of ways to reach out to different businesses, including phone calls and online interaction. That is why businesses must be ready to handle customer questions and concerns at any time. Training every employee on the basics of customer service will give your company a better chance of having a pleasant and successful customer interaction.

Customers Want Information Right Away

Now that customers have so many different ways to interact with companies, they have gotten used to getting information quickly and easily. Both current and potential customers may contact you with questions before deciding to purchase a product or service. If you do not respond quickly, the customer may decide to take their business elsewhere. It is easier to respond to every customer’s inquiry in a timely manner when every employee is trained in customer service.

Poor Customer Service Leaves a Lasting Impression

It is important to make a good impression on customers, as this is what keeps them coming back. Customer service plays a large role in how customers view the companies that supply the products and services they use. If you answer customer questions and listen to customer suggestions, your customer base will be much more loyal. Training every employee can help you make the best impression with every customer that has a question or comment.

Training all employees can improve your company’s reputation with customers. Working with Contact One Call Center can help you provide even better customer service! Discover the benefits of using our after-hours support and answering services by calling us at (800) 278-3347.

Is It Time To Expand? Here’s How To Tell

Is It Time To Expand? Here’s How To Tell

Blog/ Small Business

Every company wants to succeed. But not every company is prepared for the new responsibilities that arise when a company finds success. Growing companies can utilize answering services to help them handle the new responsibilities. Find out if your company can use this help by looking for these signs:

You’re Running Out of Room

One of the easiest ways to tell that it is time to expand is if you are running out of room in your current location. If you have too many employees for your space, it can be difficult for the team to stay productive. If your space is becoming too small for your products or other displays, it can negatively impact customer impressions.

You Want to Hire More Employees

Is your team ready for some new members? Hiring new employees is a sign of success and growth. But hiring new employees also means you might need a larger space or multiple locations. A larger team can help your company build a larger client base, leading to even more success and growth. Providing the right space is essential for motivating your team.

You’re Constantly Playing Catch-Up

When you start experiencing growth, it can be difficult to keep up with customer service responsibilities. Many companies find themselves playing catch-up to get back to customer questions and concerns while spending most of their time catering to business responsibilities. Expanding your company by hiring an answering service can help you build relationships with customers while maintaining growth and innovation.

You’re Interested in Offering New Services

As your company grows, you may be interested in providing new services that correspond to your current ones. Hiring a customer service company and finding a larger location can both help you maintain a successful company while you broaden your services.

Give your business the extra help it needs by working with Contact One Call Center! Call us at (800) 278-3347 to learn about our customer service specialties including after hours support, answering services, and much more.

Your Business Can Benefit From Contact One’s Appointment Setting Service

Your Business Can Benefit From Contact One’s Appointment Setting Service

Blog/ Physicians/Health Care/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Many companies use appointment or reservation setting services to speed up the process for customers. But when business shuts down for the day, these services also shut down. Contact One Call Center offers appointment setting services to help businesses and customers during the appointment setting process:

Integrate With Your Current System

If your business already has an appointment setting or reservation system, you can enhance that system with help from Contact One Call Center. Integrating our service with your system can allow you to provide appointment setting 24 hours a day. This means your clients will be able to set appointments on their own schedules instead of having to take time out of their days to call during business hours. When more customers can sign up for appointments, more products and services can be sold throughout the day!

Assign Appointment Setting Services to One Group

Does your company have a customer service team? This element is important in every company, but not every company has a team dedicated to providing the best customer service possible. Without a specific group to take care of customer service responsibilities, all employees must take time away from their regular responsibilities to cater to client needs. Hiring an outside group to take care of customer service can streamline your company while letting all employees focus on their top priorities. Our appointment setting service is just part of the customer service package.

Encourage Customers to Come Back

Customer service is all about creating loyal customers. It is easier to keep customers coming back when you let them interact with real people instead of relying on a computer system. Our appointment setting service ensures that customers talk to real people when scheduling appointments. This will encourage customers to continue using your service in the future.

Contact One Call Center makes it easier for customers to reach you whenever they want! Read more about our answering services by visiting our website or giving us a call today at (800) 278-3347.

Customer Service Trends on the Rise

Customer Service Trends on the Rise

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

No matter what products or services your company offers, it is important to provide excellent customer service. Customers want to feel a connection and if that connection is not there, they will find it somewhere else. Stay on top of your customer service game by following these trends:

Self-Service

An overwhelming number of today’s consumers are taking control of their searches for information. Instead of waiting for an appropriate time to call with a question, consumers are now going online to find the answers they want as soon as they want them. That is why it is important for companies to provide online sources where consumers can find the information they want.

Proactive Support

Another big customer service trend comes in the form of proactive support. This trend involves providing customers with the best experience possible instead of waiting to provide answers when questions arise. Boost your business by recognizing problems before they become problems. Providing proactive support ensures that every customer gets the most out of his or her purchase, creating a stronger and more loyal client base.

Product Development

Customer service does not only come into play after a product or service is introduced; it can also be a part of the development process. Including client feedback and concerns into the development process is useful for creating the best product possible while also providing clients with the features they desire.

Multichannel Support

Gone are the days where consumers would simply call a business to inquire about products and services. Consumers still rely on answering services and phone interactions, but they also have many other ways to communicate with businesses. Multichannel support is essential for reaching out to all clients. Providing answering services, online chats, and after hours support can help you provide exceptional customer service.

Improve your customer service reputation with help from Contact One Call Center. We offer numerous answering services and amazing after hours support. Call us at (800) 278-3347 to see how we can improve your company’s customer relationships.