Handling phone calls is an essential aspect of any business, no doubt about it. And while business owners want their phones to be ringing off the hook, answering and managing all those calls is time-consuming and often distracting. But unanswered or unreturned phone calls is like giving potential customers the silent treatment—and in the business world, silence means stagnation and lost revenue. Silent phones are just one sign that you’re losing customers, so let’s consider two more:

Holding & Hangups

Did you know that most callers hang up after about 1 minute and 55 seconds of being on hold, and more than a third of them never call back? That’s a lot of lost business opportunities that are most likely heading straight to your competition.

It’s very common for businesses to put the bulk of their marketing budgets into encouraging a customer to call. However, if the call isn’t efficiently handed when it’s received, there’s very likely damage being done to the customer relationship building process. Set aside a period of time and honestly evaluate your calls to see how many are being put on hold, and how often callers who are put on hold hang up.

Complaining . . . or not.

Did you know that news of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for a good service experience, according to a survey by the White House Office of Consumer Affairs? Take the time to address unhappy customers and do everything in your power to remedy the situation. It’s not only worth keeping their business, but also avoiding any negative word-of-mouth exposure or bad online reviews.

In addition, a complaining customer may be bad, but a customer that says nothing could be even worse. The same White House Office of Consumer Affairs survey shows that for every customer who bothers to complain, 26 other customers remain silent. If you’ve been reaching out to a potential or current customer and they aren’t responding, it may be a signal that you’re losing their business. A customer who isn’t returning your calls or emails is likely in looking into doing business with someone else.

If you’re finding it difficult to answer your phones in a way that aligns with your company’s customer service standards, it might be time to consider outsourcing your calls to a reputable live answering service. Hiring an answering service will give your team more flexibility to work on more profitable tasks while ensuring your customers receive the attention they deserve.

Once you’ve decided to outsource your calls, it’s time to choose an answering service that reflects your values. At Voice Link of Columbus, Inc, our passion is people. We believe a live answering service is an extension of your business and we understand that the way calls are handled can be the difference between customer acquisition and retention, or loss.

We leverage our extensive experience and leading edge technology to develop a flexible solution to provide maximum results for your company, whether your inbound call service requirements are simple or complex with multiple service options. Our excellent reputation, expert staff, and state-of-the-art technology will exceed your expectations. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.