Technology has come a long way, but it’s not perfect. People still prefer to deal with people, at least in business. When we have questions, complaints, or clarifications, we pick up the phone and dial. We want a living, breathing, pleasant voice on the other side of that call. A customer’s decision to do business with you relies heavily on that call. As pleasant as that voice prompt is, that’s not the sound that seals the deal. Customers want a name they can hold accountable.
I could launch into a paragraph of statistics that make this point for me, but I’ll do you one better. Let’s look at what your customer goes through on a typical day.
What is your customer’s call experience?
After two days of low voltage issues, Makau wakes up to get his third complaint reference from his only electricity provider. He did this using the app but quickly turns to social media to get a human response. Why? 3 years ago, he made a complaint. When he called to find out whether there was progress, the “machine lady” informed him that the matter had been resolved. He’d been without power for 26 hours. He doesn’t trust auto-responses anymore.
He’s back on the phone with a supplier. He made an emergency order to meet an urgent need for one of his clients. Phylis, who he usually deals with, is out on a field visit this week. has handed over her clients to Malcolm because they don’t have an office outside the city. Malcolm, God bless him, is trying but he doesn’t quite understand the specifications that Makau needs. What’s sad is that Phylis could coordinate this order if she didn’t worry about the cost of calling the necessary departments while she’s in the field. Mutua’s emergency order which usually takes 3 business days is pushed back, again.
Makau has no time to wallow. He and his pent-up frustration, get behind the wheel for a site visit to a client. Anger has no place on the road so unfortunately, Makau is involved in a fender bender. He’s alright but the car needs a lot of work. So he’s on the phone, trying to get in touch with his insurance broker. The lady at the switchboard transfers the call to an agent’s extension. It rings 12 times. The call drops. He tries again. No luck. He sends a message and tries some diplomacy. By the time he’s done, it’s 2 in the afternoon. The broker responds at 4:30. Amidst many apologies, the broker says the paperwork to get a replacement car has to wait until the next business day. It’s Friday. Makau is very unhappy.
This is your customer. This is the person who’s either enjoying your service or looking to enquire about doing business with you. Sure, they could go through your website, but they’ll have questions and they don’t want to wait 24 hours for an email response. So they will call. Question is, will they get through?
Improve the customer’s experience with a hosted call center
No matter what line of business you’re in, your clients and employees need to effectively communicate. With 2020 being the year of remote working, clear affordable communication technology is essential. Having many employees working from home will become a permanent condition for many businesses. This is great news for both the business and the employees. The business saves on physical office space and physical amenities while the employees save time spent commuting.
Your communication solution should be able to keep everyone in sync. Emails may keep things documented but calls get things done. There’s something about that human contact that spurs people into action.
Why not invest in the traditional call management solution?
With a traditional telecommunication solution, you need to purchase hardware (phones, servers, etc), licenses, additional space for the servers, installation services and so much more. All these will come at a heavy cost. As your business grows, increasing your capacity will lead you to the same cycle of additional hardware, software, and licenses with the added benefit of inflation that may add another zero to your bill. It is similar to buying an entire assembly line when all you need is a car. It sounds ridiculous but it is true. Here’s a better way to get what you need.
What is a hosted call center?
This is a telecommunication solution that is internet-based. As long as your employees have access to the internet, they can be linked to the system. Internal system calls are free despite geographical distance. Calls can be recorded to monitor quality and clients can get through to employees even when they are in the field. All the benefits of the traditional call system without any of the hassle.
What do you require?
- WiFi or 4G connection
- Compatible phone sets – these include mobile devices
- License depending on the need of the business
- Access to the system can be done via both android or iOS apps.
What you don’t need
- New software
- New hardware
- New installation guy
- New bank facility to fund additional capacity when the business grows
- Additional floor space that will remain empty, like many bank teller booths
- Additional servers and server maintenance costs
Additional benefits
- Accommodate your increased capacity by upgrading your license in the middle of the year. Add an extension easily since one license covers multiple users.
- Customer calls can still be monitored and, if need be, taken over by a supervisor.
- Calls are encrypted to keep your customers’ data secure. For further protection, the transcripts of recorded calls can have sensitive information edited out to ensure data privacy.
- Employees’ availability status is visible to ensure that calls are transferred to available agents.
- The system can be linked to your CRM, allowing the employee to get vital information on the customer when they receive the call. That way, the customer doesn’t need to keep introducing themselves and repeating basic information.
- With a laptop and a headset, employees can receive and make calls wherever they are located, even without a mobile phone.
Who is this for
- If you’re just starting out and you need to invest capital in your money-makers rather than supporting systems
- Any business that relies heavily on telecommunication, either internal or external
- Any business that values the customer’s time and wants to maximize the accessibility.
- Any business that is growing but wants to keep costs low
Final word
Technology should work for you, not the other way around. You don’t start a construction company because you want a house. You buy the house. You don’t build a brewery because you want a cool drink to unwind. You buy a beer.
You shouldn’t have to buy a tonne of hardware and sacrifice a huge chunk of capital just because you want to communicate with co-workers and clients. You call Node and have them set you up with a call center. That’s all you need.
