A survey by Consumer Reports nails it: Poor phone presence bugs Americans
What are the top things that annoy, irritate and otherwise raise the ire of Americans?
According to Consumer Reports, #1 is hidden fees. (Of course, none of us charge hidden fees, right?) But close behind — so close that the difference is statistically insignificant — is being unable to get a live person on the phone when calling a business.
Here’s the article — you may need a Consumer Reports subscription to get in.
In a national survey of 1,125 adults, CR asked adults to rate 21 gripes on a 1 – 10 scale. The top two gripes (and several others) should concern everyone who manages a business, nonprofit or association.
Here’s The Washington Network’s position: If people can’t get a live person when they call you — shame on you!
For a big percentage of organizations, you already have the technology within your current phone system to practically eliminate the situation. Maybe you don’t know how to use it. If so, get help, before you lose another customer to your competition.
For those who have older phone systems lacking the features needed to connect callers to living, breathing staff members, double shame. Here’s why: You can upgrade to a new phone system immediately, get the technology you need to connect callers to a live person… and since you’re replacing an old, inefficient system, you’ll probably end up saving money over your old system.
Making your customers happier… and saving money at the same time. What a great argument against the inertia of failing to upgrade to a modern digital or VoIP phone system.
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How to help your customer get a live person on the line
So, what are some of these great technologies that you should consider including in your telecom system?
Auto-attendant: Well, sure, almost everyone has an auto-attendant. But are the right people on your staff — including you — trained in how to optimize it to the benefit of your customers?
Presence management: Tells you whether or not someone is at their desk and able to take calls before you transfer incoming calls to them. (A lot more effective than an “in/out” whiteboard.)
Call queuing: Assigns incoming calls into departments or groups, to assure the right person can answer the phone. While in queue, the caller gets messages telling her how long until someone is available. It may give her options.
Call waiting: An alert on your phone display, working in concert with the auto-attendant, to let you know someone wants your business.
DID, Direct Inward Dialing: Do key personnel have their own phone number, so key customers don’t have to go through the main line?
One-number access (find me/follow me): Is your system set up to find you no matter where you are, by forwarding your caller to your cell phone or alternate office phone?
Remote access: For businesses with multiple locations, does your system route inbound calls to other locations that are open, when someone calls a location that is not open?
Interactive voice response: Can your auto-attendant use voice recognition to route a call quickly?
Voicemail to email: In cases when you simply can’t answer the phone, will your system email you to deliver the message no matter where you are?
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Remember, these technologies are no longer exotic. They’re included in many, many reasonably priced phone systems. If your telephone system provider sold you a system but did not set you up and train you properly, you and your customers are losing out. Unnecessarily.
All the pieces may be there. But make sure you have someone to put it all together for you.
Questions? We’d be delighted to answer them. Call The Washington Network toll-free at 877.7-ASK-TWN. Or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
