How Does an Answering Service Promote Better Customer Retention?
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Introduction
If you operate an on-call repair or service business, you already know that finding or attracting new customers is hard (really hard.) Therefore, hanging on to your existing customers is vital if you want your business to grow.
A Bain & Company report explaining methods to cut business costs states that a mere 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by over 25%. This is because it is much cheaper to keep customers than it is to gain new ones. However, this formula only works if you offer your customers value.
The value of your services should never be measured merely on price alone. Perhaps even more important than price to customers are accessibility, dependability, and customer service. And of the three, many studies have found that customer service is the most important of all.
Better customer retention requires great customer service that needs to start with first contact and continue with every interaction thereafter. Therefore, in this post, we will discuss how a professional answering service can help keep your customers happy so they don’t start calling on your competitors.
No More Missed Calls
We get it; you’re busy working on jobs and running your business. Whether it’s because you’re stuck working under a sink or in an elevator shaft, answering the phone on the job is not always possible. And even if your business doesn’t keep you busy physically, answering phone calls while charging by the hour on a service call probably isn’t the best idea. Nevertheless, someone still has to answer those calls. And if you can’t answer them yourself, you’ll need someone to do it for you; someone you can depend on.
Every time you miss a call, you miss a chance to grow your business. With that in mind, just one or two additional service calls can easily make up for the costs of outsourcing your answering service. And, having a professional customer service team at the ready does wonders to improve customer satisfaction, customer retention, and loyalty.
When you partner with the right answering service, missed calls will no longer be an issue. So, regardless of how busy you are on the job, you’ll never have to worry about missing new job opportunities and sales.
No More Long Hold Times, Busy Signals or Voicemail
When customers need service, they want it right away. Gone are the days when customers and potential customers will sit around and wait on hold or wait for a return call.
According to information released by PRWeb, more than a third of callers refuse to hold and will hang up immediately if asked to wait. A post from Conversational says data from Voice Response, Inc. reveals that about 35% of callers who hang up will never call back. That’s a lot of missed opportunities.
If callers hear busy signals or are sent to voicemail, the odds of getting jobs aren’t much better. Anything that delays a customer or potential customer from contacting your business is a roadblock to sales, profits, and customer retention (not to mention it doesn’t reflect well on your business.) So, when you get rid of the burden of having to answer calls yourself, an answering service can ensure that your callers speak to a live person every time they call.
Answering service calls without delays increases profits and helps keep your customers happier. This is especially important if your business provides services after business hours or on weekends and holidays.
Faster Dispatch and Response Times Equals Better Customer Retention
Running a service or repair business requires the ability to “put out fires” and solve problems for customers as quickly as possible. A major part of being able to do this for your customers involves dispatching personnel to jobs and responding to service calls without delay.
Any delay in taking a call or dispatching the right people hinders your ability to provide service or fix a customer’s problem. When customers call for service, they usually want (or need) it immediately. Therefore, if your business relies on fast, efficient dispatch and response times, using a professional answering service can help a lot.
Simply let the answering service know who the on-call is or who they need to contact when a service request comes in, and they will dispatch the right person or team to the job. If a customer or potential customer calls for a quote or just wants to leave a general message, an answering service can forward those requests, too. So, whether you’re in bed asleep or out on a job, service calls can still be answered and dispatched quickly and efficiently – which helps keep your customers happy and coming back.
Fewer Work Interruptions
No one likes to be interrupted when they’re busy on a job. This is because having to answer the phone while on a job can distract and cause the work to run longer than it should. But more than that, it’s just not a good look to customers who may watch or be nearby while you work. Of course, work interruptions can also lead to poor customer retention rates if not managed and minimized.
Reduce work interruptions by shifting the burden of fielding phone calls to a professional answering service. When you do, you can get down to the business of providing service to your customer and getting the job done. Naturally, this makes your customer happy and much more likely to call you again when they need your services (or, perhaps, refer your service to others.) And as you know, repeat business and referrals are the lifeblood of a successful service or repair business.
No More Communication Barriers
Did you know Spanish is the second most-widely spoken language in the world? Well, it is according to the foreign language service, Babbel (Chinese is the first). What’s maybe more interesting, though, is the fact that, next to Mexico, the United States has more native Spanish language speakers than any other country in the world. With so much of our population speaking Spanish as their first language, you can see how being able to service these customers can have an enormous impact on your business.
The best answering services employ agents who are fluent in both English and Spanish. So, when a Spanish-speaking customer calls, there is no communication barrier or fear of misunderstandings. Of course, native Spanish speakers feel more comfortable conversing in their native language. And if your company provides them with a way to do so, they are more likely to choose your services. When your answering service employs bilingual agents, Spanish-speaking customers are also much more likely to refer your business to others in their communities.
Reduced Down Time Between Jobs
Ideally, whenever you finish one job or service call, you already have another to go to. When this is the case, getting to your next job quickly is important. If you need to stop and check voicemail or return calls, this can chew up valuable time better used traveling to the next job and getting more work done.
As mentioned above, providing the best customer service for your customers means not keeping them waiting. When you partner with an expert answering service, you can reduce the amount of downtime between service calls or jobs.
Do More With Insta Answer
Insta Answer has been in business for over 50 years. And in that time, we’ve grown a lot. Insta Answer is now a true partner that helps our clients be more productive, improve customer satisfaction, and increase customer retention.
Our highly trained answering service agents are experts in handling calls and providing support for many service-or-repair oriented businesses, such as elevator repair services, HVAC, plumbing services, professional offices, and more.
Running a service or repair business is hard, and sometimes managing calls and customer service is difficult when you have so much else to do. So, if your business often requires your attention everywhere and for everything, we can help. If you want to learn how partnering with Insta Answer can help your business be more productive and improve customer satisfaction, please contact us by clicking here for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. Alternatively, you can reach us toll-free at (877) 631 – 9711 or by email at [email protected].
