Answering Service vs Voicemail: Who Wins?
Why Replace Voicemail with Answering Service
Gone are the days when you can let the calls go to voicemail and get back to customers when you have a spare moment. We do everything on our smartphones these days, and fewer of us each year prefer to have anything to do with voicemail and for a good reason. According to a New York Times report, more than 30 percent of voicemail messages linger for three days or longer without a response. Many people just hang up when they reach voicemail.
Here are a few ways that voicemail could be hurting your business and how a call answering service can help.
Voicemail is Impersonal
Many clients are put off by the impersonal nature of a voicemail system. If a client has an urgent matter, reaching voicemail is only going to heighten their anxiety. Assuming they are already upset about something, an automated message is only going to make the situation worse. Some of those customers will take their business elsewhere if they can’t speak to a human being.
Inefficient Use of Time
When your voicemail inbox fills up, you have a massive task in front of you. You have to sit down with a pad of paper, listen to the messages, and carefully take down the pertinent information for a callback. Unfortunately, some callers can drone on for five minutes or more before giving up their phone number, and others speak so fast that you have to listen to the message several times. In the end, this is an inefficient use of time for all involved.
Often Results in Telephone Tag
Assuming you took down all of that information accurately from a voicemail message, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to reach the customer when you call them back. You may get their voicemail and wind up in an endless game of telephone tag. Most of these clients would prefer that your company could answer the phone when they call and take care of their needs immediately, which is something that a professional answering service can help you accomplish.
Doesn’t Satisfy Customers
When a client calls your business, it’s for a reason. They may need to ask a question, place an order, or want to schedule an appointment. If they have to leave a voicemail, they haven’t accomplished much. A call answering service can complete many tasks on behalf of your business, such as appointment scheduling and order fulfillment.
Voicemail was an excellent way to communicate in the 1990s, but that ship has sailed. Technology has allowed us to move on, and customer preferences make it clear that being more accessible is the best way to grow a business.
Solution: What You Can Do Instead
The friendly virtual receptionists at Answering365‘s call answering service are ready to answer your company’s calls around the clock and take your business to the next level.
We will answer the calls according to your script, and our well-trained, highly qualified agents will sound friendly and professional, helping your customers on your behalf.
Contact us now to learn how our service can help you take your business to the next level. We are always available at 888-588-9800
