We have often spoken on this site about the great advantages which an answering service could have for your business. Often we will get comments from all business owners, telling us that they have no need, and no capital, for such a call center automation service and that there are people in the business all day, who can answer calls. This is all well and good, but there is no denying what a trimmed down version of that service would be able to offer a small business. An after hours answering service may be a better option for small business owners and here is how it could prove to be a game changer for your set up.
Lost Customers
One of the things that small businesses are fighting against are the big companies like Walmart for example, which offer every single type of product. The charm of small businesses comes down to the experience and the loyalty which many customers have. Now imagine that you have a DIY store which closes at 5pm, and you have a customer calling up for some fixings for a plumbing job which they are doing at home. Let’s assume that they call at 6 and of course, there is no answer, there is a big temptation at this point for the customer to take their business to the likes of Walmart of Amazon, to get things up and running. If you had an answering service in place in this instance, they could check stock and give a customer an answer, or take a message and have the owner, you, call them back at 9am. Customer saved and another win for the small guys.
Show of Professionalism
The notion ‘fake it until you make it’ doesn’t always apply to small businesses, but there are certainly steps which you can take that will increase your public image, from the outside at least. And so when a customer calls you out of hours, instead of the line going dead, an engaged dial or the phone simply ringing out, your customers will be listening to the voice of a professional answering service which will take care of their needs in a way which greatly promotes customers service. This show of professionalism is what will help to increase your standing amongst customers.
Making More Money
At the heart of why this is such a great service is making more money. Through not losing those customers and through increasing your brand and reputation, not to mention improving customer service, you will be able to secure more sales and more loyal customers. This may not sound like a area of your business which needs to be outsourced but after just a few months of using an answering service, even if it is just the out of hours option, you will see a big improvement in your sales.
his is certainly a service which small businesses should consider using.