I was driving this past weekend with my family, and decided to come home without traveling on the Interstate highways.
It was a beautiful day, and as we drove through small-town USA, it struck me how a business’ presentation to passers-by was critical to it’s surviving! If they had a good sign, a clear presentation, and was the type of place I was interested in stopping, I would be a customer.
But poor signage, a bad presentation, or no clear idea of what I would find inside, and I would keep on driving (maybe to never pass that way again!).
While this may seem an obvious concept to you, there’s a parallel here for your business.
You’ve run your ads on radio, TV, Billboards, and the internet. You’ve spruced up your front entrance to make it appealing and inviting. You’ve educated your staff on how to ask the right questions of customers, without being pushy. Now you’re waiting for customers to come pouring in your door.
Have you overlooked anything? I think you’ll be surprised!
About 50% of people in the US are Introverted and about 50% are Extroverted. Which means that 50% of your customers will be more inclined to do their research, pick out the product they want, then pick up the phone and call you, to see if you have what they want at a price they want to pay.
Have you test-driven your phones lately?
Your Caller Experience is a critical link to convincing new customers they should buy from you, and reinforcing that fact to existing customers.
And just like the road signs I was watching as I traveled through small towns, you have but a few seconds to make (or break) that experience over the phone. Callers will put up with bad experiences only so long.
So what makes a bad experience?
Poor phone skills – staff that doesn’t properly answer the phone, and place an importance on handling the phone call with clarity and promptness.
Silence On-Hold (or just music) – callers don’t know if they’ve been disconnected, or simply put on “forget”. You wouldn’t have an empty showroom when they walk in…don’t have “empty” On-Hold time. Nobody likes it.
Long waits – being On-Hold at some point is a fact of life. But don’t forget about your caller On-hold. Try to get back to them as quickly as possible!
Transferred to the wrong person – make sure when you transfer a caller, you stay on the line to make sure they get to the right person or department. Your caller will really appreciate it.
Transforming your Caller Experience
Those are just a few of the things we measure with our Secret Caller service. It’s amazing how just a few small things can make a huge difference in how customers experience your business. Those few seconds over the phone are critical to whether they choose to do business with you…or go on to your competition.
What do YOUR phones say about your company?
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