VoIP Call Technology Works Best When Real People Answer

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Does Having VoIP mean you no longer need your Call Answering Service?

No. And here’s why.

Many businesses are unplugging their landlines and plugging into the “cloud” by switching to VoIP.

There are a lot of valid reasons for doing so – which your VoIP supplier likely has told you.

They also likely told you that you can save money by not using a call answering service; that VoIP can manage your call overflow, after-hours and emergency calls.

VoIP is a tool that allows us to talk to each other in the same way that traditional landlines do.  The difference between the two is in the technology used.

Elvis encounters voicemail

 

One of the selling points of VoIP is that you’ll never miss a call because of the ‘Follow me/Find me” feature. This is a system where if your call isn’t answered in the first 3 rings it cascades to another number then another number and if that isn’t answered your caller falls to voicemail.

So, yes, your caller will eventually reach someone, but do you want them to sit through multiple rings wondering if they have the wrong number or worse, that you’re indifferent.

Delegating people to be on ‘call duty’ comes with its hazards.

One of the lessons I learned through many years of managing people (and children) is,  

“If everybody is responsible, no one is responsible.”Click To Tweet

Picture this baseball analogy.

A hitter pops a ball into the centre outfield.  Since the ball is headed for the centre, the left fielder doesn’t go after it. Neither does the right outfielder. They both assume the guy in the middle has it covered.

But the centre outfielder is blinded by the sun and the ball falls at his feet with a thud.  

All the time this phone game of ‘hide and seek’ is happening, your customer is sitting through ring after ring after ring.  This could add up to a minute or more of mounting frustration. If they are then pushed to voicemail after all that, your reputation, like that baseball, will fall with a thud. You’ve lost your chance to convince your customers that ‘their call is important.  

Using a call answering service while on VoIP isn’t an expense, it’s insurance.

“The customer’s perception is your reality.” ~ Kate Zabriskie

Business is personal. Whether we’re B2C or B2B, in the end, we’re all P2P (People to People).

(From Report: Bad Phone Experience Will Send 74 Percent Of Consumers To A Competitor

A recent study by call analytics company Invoca found that negative experiences with businesses over the phone will impact ROI and loyalty. The survey of more than 2,000 US adults found:

– nearly 75 percent were more inclined to choose a competitor after a negative phone experience,

– 30 percent were more likely to leave a negative review.

– 50 percent of survey respondents said long hold times were one of their top customer frustrations.

– People also didn’t want to have to “repeat the same information to multiple representatives.”

Negative phone experience results

 

Calls left unanswered or rerouted to voicemail represent lost revenue and reputation. (Would you wait for a call-back if you had an emergency or would you call someone else?)

You can count on automated VoIP technology to deliver your calls but you’ll want to count on real people to answer them.

VoIP gives you the opportunity to answer your customer’s calls first.  When you can’t answer, i24 Call Management Solutions is your insurance that your call will be answered by a call professional who reflects your values.

If you’re interested in learning more about how VoIP and our call answering service can work together to ensure your callers reach you, call 800-667-6767. We won’t keep you waiting.