Facing a company’s customer-service department, especially through a phone answer service, most consumers prefer—make that “demand”—interacting with a human being who really sounds like a human being.
People aren’t satisfied with leaving their message on a company voice mail or answering machine. Nor should they be. Interaction defines customer behavior online, with tools like instant live chat and Twitter messages bringing companies and customers closer together than ever. So why shouldn’t interaction define customer-service behavior? The relationship between the producer and the consumer is changing.
Online, people can study up on detailed product information, compare pricing, look up peer reviews, ask questions in real-time via chat, order and pay instantly, track packages from the moment their purchase leaves the warehouse to the moment it leaves the delivery truck, and post glowing reviews or angry complaints after unpacking it. Product successes and failures air much more publicly than ever before, with companies understanding (rightly so) that building brand trust means building a Facebook account. The consumer market has become dynamic, interactive. And for companies, the stakes are higher.
Consumers are both better informed and more vocal. Expectations are higher. Questions and requests are often more specific, more nuanced and more demanding, and businesses need to equip themselves to answer queries as they arise.
The instant feedback of a networked market has turned answering machines and automated messaging systems into anachronisms.
A simple and streamlined way for businesses to achieve 24-hour accessibility is by partnering with a phone answering service. Contact centers have become sophisticated to the point of interchangeability with on-site employees. Shared software makes it possible for a virtual receptionist to access company policies and information, appointment calendars, customer databases and previous orders. Usually, customers aren’t even aware that the agent on the other end of the phone doesn’t necessarily share a ZIP code with the company they’re representing. And if customers were aware, they probably wouldn’t care, as long as their questions find answers.
Customer service these days are all about interaction. Answering services are one more way to efficiently and intelligently enhance communication between a company and its customers. “Communication builds trust,” goes the old cliche, and trust builds loyalty. In concrete terms, answering services can turn visitors into repeat customers.
