Imagine that you are in a meeting and your phone calls. Perhaps you’re taking a client out to lunch. Maybe you’re helping a customer or on vacation with your family when the phone rings. The call goes to voicemail in either case. Something as simple as missing a call might have unexpected repercussions. You’ve just added more work to your list of things to do; answering calls and playing phone tag aren’t exactly enjoyable activities. You might be annoyed that you can’t be everywhere at once or feel bad about possibly losing out on new business opportunities.
Now put yourself in the position of the caller who was sent to voicemail. You’re a potential customer calling a new company for the first time, excited to connect and receive assistance with your issues. You feel as though the wind has been knocked out of your sails when your voicemail arrives. You don’t feel particularly significant or appreciated. The company must be too busy or simply uninterested in your call if they can’t be bothered to answer the phone. The missed call appears to be an indication that you ought to end the contact and call another company rather than leaving a message.
Everyone concerned experiences stress when calls go unanswered. Companies lose out on chances to expand their clientele and deliver excellent customer care. Callers are not appreciated. It’s a lose-lose scenario that irritates both sides. Regretfully, it is an occurrence that occurs daily.
What Happens When You Miss a Call
You lose out on more than just one conversation when you ignore a call. Additionally, you’re passing on worthwhile chances to expand your company. Although a single phone call rarely determines the outcome of business communication, a first impression cannot be undone. Callers frequently choose to hang up and call one of your competitors when they reach your voicemail. This implies missed sales chances and more money for your rivals.
For instance, if you own an HVAC company and charge $1000 on average each work, and you close 25% of incoming calls, that means you lose $250 for each call that goes unanswered! Missed calls indicate lost chances to turn prospects into paying clients. Not only are you losing out on significant talks when you let calls go to voicemail, but you’re also losing out on potential business.
Remember to consider a customer’s lifetime value as opposed to just a one-time task. Oh, and don’t forget to take into account the business referrals that contented customers generate. These factors demonstrate how much is on the line each time the phone calls.
It’s obvious that missing a call has a cascading impact. You give up some future peace of mind in addition to losing out on important chances to engage with clients and generate fresh leads. Missed calls add another task to your list of things to do that you’ll have to do the next day. Just to catch up, you’ll have to waste time answering calls, checking in, and playing phone tag.
Even while such administrative tasks might not seem like a huge concern at first, they eventually pile up and cause inefficiencies. You can miss calls coming in on the other line while you’re answering calls from the day before. While you’re making up for missed calls, you can neglect other projects, which could result in further backups and service delays. It’s an enormous task that will eventually have an effect on morale.
Revenue Profit vs. Potential Profit
Comprehending the distinctions between profit potential and profit revenue can aid in placing the expense of a missed call in perspective. The possibility of generating income for a good or service is known as profit potential. It is simple to figure up your possible earnings over a year if, for example, you are a plumber with the resources (time, labor, and expertise) to handle four service calls every day.
It’s easy to calculate your predicted profit revenue: just deduct your expenses from your profit potential to see the annual income that may be generated. The cost of a missed call, however, needs to be taken into account in this calculation unless you want to completely eliminate missed calls. There’s no denying the effect on revenue for businesses.
It’s simple to assess the effect a single missed call has on your business once you’ve calculated your profit potential and profit income. Even though it might not seem like a huge concern at the time, missing a call can have far-reaching effects that could seriously hurt your company’s earnings. It’s time to start viewing dropped calls for what they actually are: lost chances to expand your clientele, build your brand, and win over new clients.
Typical Reasons for Missed Calls
Prior to identifying targeted corporate communication solutions, it is imperative to comprehend the typical reasons for missed calls. Some are evident: calls will inevitably go to voicemail when employees are too preoccupied with other tasks to answer the phone. There will undoubtedly be times when staff members feel overworked or that there are gaps in call coverage, even with a specialized administrative team in place to handle phone calls. Employees might be called into the field or briefly removed from their workstations. Missing a call simply takes a minute.
Technology can be held partially responsible for missed calls. When personnel aren’t equipped to handle a high amount of calls, they can easily get overworked. Overworked employees could use antiquated technology, like voicemail, to get by during a hurry without comprehending the potential damage to your company’s reputation.
Sometimes staff members are too preoccupied with other customer service tasks to pay attention to calls. Prioritizing in-person clients isn’t always a bad idea, but your calls shouldn’t suffer as a result of this customer care tactic. It is often necessary to examine your current priorities in order to comprehend missed calls (and the reasons behind them).
Furthermore, regular work hours are no longer a barrier to commercial contact. It’s possible that your competitors are open and available around-the-clock in an increasingly globalized economy. You might be losing out on crucial calls from potential clients when your staff returns home to relax and recover after a demanding day. Maintaining a good work-life balance is crucial, but missed calls after hours don’t have to be a necessary evil.
Finding the Price of the Calls You Missed
It’s useful to figure out how much those missed calls could have cost you now that you know some of the possible reasons. Determine each customer’s average value first. For example, if you run a bed & breakfast, one average guest might be worth $275, or the cost of two nights’ lodging.
Then, double this amount by the typical client lifecycle. In the event that the typical guest stays at your bed and breakfast five times, that person represents over $1300 in potential income for the duration of your company. It’s simple to see how one missed call might negatively affect your revenue when you take into account your average closure rate—the percentage of calls that result in a paying customer.
If you don’t make that first phone contact, there’s a possibility your bed and breakfast visitor will book a stay at another establishment. You forfeit not only the fee for that one night, but also the opportunity for overnight stays for the rest of your life without that initial interaction. It’s simple to understand how significant—and even dangerous—missed phone calls may be when you multiply that by the number of calls you miss in a given day.
Statistics on Missed Calls
It is useful to examine basic data in order to fully comprehend the significance of a missed call. Remarkably, 89 percent of customers claim that after receiving subpar customer care, they ceased doing business with a company. Even while you may believe that leaving your calls on voicemail is a harmless choice, you may be unintentionally offending consumers.
Another startling figure about missed calls is that attracting new clients is six to seven times more expensive than keeping existing ones. Assuming that you can contact a customer back and win their business as if you’d never missed their call in the first place is no longer a safe bet; in fact, it’s never been acceptable. You can spend a lot of money on costly marketing and advertising efforts, but you’ve wasted it if clients aren’t picking up when they call your number.
According to 30% of respondents, not being able to speak with a live person is the worst aspect of a negative customer service encounter. Yes, the average person’s life will be put on hold for forty-three days. Our leisure time is really valuable to us as humans. Sending a caller to speak with a virtual voice attendant or robotic answering system is the surest way to alienate them. The favorable tidings? It is surprisingly easy to handle this all-too-common administrative difficulty.
Voicemail: Not So Beneficial
As the aforementioned data shows, individuals detest leaving messages on machines. It’s impossible to predict whether their message will be understood at all. A business voicemail could, at most, launch a bothersome phone tag game. It makes sense why so many callers choose to hang up and contact the rival company.
Not only do voicemails bother callers, but employees also frequently detest listening to their voicemails. Most people dislike the task of having to track down potential callers and play phone tag, even though some may recognize the value of promptly returning calls. This is particularly valid for workers who are already overburdened with tasks. Furthermore, most people aren’t particularly adept at leaving voicemails—they frequently omit crucial contact information and relevant details. This simply makes the message’s recipient more headache-ridden.
In the end, voicemail makes it very evident that you and your staff are unavailable and that attending to consumers is not your top priority. Even though you might never consider leaving such an unpleasant, unwelcoming message for callers directly, the voicemail system itself suggests as much. Voicemail can be almost as detrimental to your company as the missed calls itself, especially when it comes to your company’s reputation.
Enhancing Telephone Business Communications
It is impossible to exaggerate the value of phone calls in business. After witnessing the consequences of a missed call on your company, you might be asking how to enhance customer care and assist each and every caller. Contextualizing each caller’s motivations is one of the greatest business communication strategies. How would your conversation change if your loved one was on the other end of the line? You’ll convey to potential customers that you respect their time if you answer the phone promptly, consistently, and with human kindness.
Just being there is insufficient, though. Being mindful of missed calls is just the start. The most fruitful talks emphasize a beneficial, constructive flow of information above and beyond simple message taking. It helps to assign to experts if you and your team lack the time to devote to this task. Regardless of your resources—time, labor, or money—you need to continue placing a high premium on professionally returning calls.
Cutting Down on Missed Calls
When trying to combat missed calls, there are several business communication options that you can attempt. To begin with, you might collaborate with a call answering service or add more employees. Adding more employees to your team is an easy approach to improve both the prospective sales revenue and the reputation of your company.
Receptionists at professional answering services can assist you in creating a satisfying and unforgettable customer experience if you choose to partner with them. Calls don’t always have to be made for practical purposes. In actuality, they can present chances to build relationships and win devoted lifelong clients. Anything less merely amounts to subpar client support.
A lot of entrepreneurs promise to have a live, actual person answering the phone seven days a week. They use technology to adjust to demand, increasing phone service during peak hours and decreasing it during off-peak hours. Although this method shouldn’t be particularly expensive, it isn’t the case in practice. The capital you invest in your corporate communication solutions contributes to the long-term viability and well-being of your company.
The Effect on the Image of Your Company
You never have a second chance to make a first impression, and that is true. A ringing phone may seem like a small irritation or something you can ignore, but it’s actually a chance to interact with both new and current clients. If you let it go to voicemail, your company can quickly develop a reputation for being unresponsive to calls and uncaring about them.
The person on the other end of the line may have a negative impression after a single missed call. It can be rather challenging to overcome the perception that you provide subpar customer service once it has been established. Although extremely committed clients may go above and above to connect, most won’t put in the extra effort to get in touch.
The internet has made a company’s reputation more important than ever. A customer sees reviews of your services and goods as soon as they search for your company online. Should your reputation be anything than exceptional, potential clients might choose to work with your rivals instead. Customers are in control of this dynamic since they have an abundance of options.
The greatest strategy for handling this difficulty is to safeguard your reputation. If you put the customer experience first, you will undoubtedly receive the kind of evaluations that excite and encourage new clients to interact with your company. However, your company’s reputation will undoubtedly suffer if you choose to overlook negative reviews and the phone experience you provide.
Now, give better customer service.
For organizations looking to enhance their business communications, THUNDER Communications provides a dependable, reasonably priced call service. Professional agents are on hand to serve as the approachable, supportive face of your company when they answer calls, aid clients, offer solutions, receive messages, set up appointments, place orders, and more. They are available around-the-clock, seven days a week. Put your phone calls in THUNDER’s capable hands. It’s the simplest approach to make sure you always answer calls on time and provide excellent customer service.
Every time the phone rings, a third-party answering service guarantees excellent call performance. Equipped with the most recent technological innovations available, receptionists can competently handle any queries or issues that callers may have. Multilingual representatives can also be polite and professional. Their abilities enable your business to communicate with callers who may not speak English, which is becoming a more frequent issue as America’s demographics change.
Your internal team will have more time than ever to focus on their responsibilities and projects because there will be devoted agents answering the phone. When the phone doesn’t ring nonstop, going about your daily business will seem like a dream. Missed calls disappear, freeing you and your team to concentrate on the in-person clients and the most crucial tasks for which you are specially equipped.
The best part is that callers might never even be aware that they are interacting with an answering machine. Agents are taught to operate from personalized call scripts that exactly replicate the language, guidelines, and practices that your own team adheres to. After working with THUNDER, many of our clients say their brand’s reputation has improved. Be unsurprised if your company receives an increase in excellent internet reviews that highlight your customer service.
Don’t believe anything we say. Check out the effectiveness of THUNDER’s call services for yourself. We have first-hand evaluations of our services on our website in the testimonials area. But you’ll have to give us a try if you want to fully grasp THUNDER’s strength. We are providing a free seven-day trial of our live answering service in order to address this. You will enjoy all the advantages of a relationship with THUNDER for seven days, and after the trial period expires, there is no commitment to continue. Why not give THUNDER a shot with all that’s at stake—so many unanswered calls!?