Let’s talk loyalty. ‘Customer loyalty’ essentially refers to a customer’s willingness to repeatedly buy or work with a business or brand, which results from a combination of positive experiences, customer satisfaction and perceived value. These positive interactions don’t just occur face-to-face, but are formed every time a business interacts with their customers, including over the phone. Considering that 60% of consumers said they overwhelmingly prefer to contact a business over the phone compared to other methods, how small businesses manage their phone lines should be a top priority.
Put yourself in the shoes of a customer, and imagine you’re calling a local pizzeria to place an order, only to be put on hold for 5 minutes, so you decide to hang up. Or imagine you’re calling the closest auto shop to schedule an oil change, but you get sent to voicemail. In these situations, how likely would you be to call a different business that could provide you with service immediately?
In the age of customer disloyalty, if a business doesn’t answer the phone the first time a customer calls, they run the risk that the customer will move on to the next competitor. In fact, 89% of customers seek business with a competitor following a poor customer experience.
The Right Answer for Unanswered Calls
If answering phone lines is so important, why do 62% of phone calls to small businesses go unanswered? It likely isn’t feasible to have a dedicated employee whose sole responsibility is to answer incoming calls. Hostesses and receptionists are typically juggling multiple tasks at once and don’t always have the time to answer the phone.That’s where CallJoy can help. CallJoy is an easy-to-use cloud-based phone agent that enables small business owners to measure, improve and automate customer service. With CallJoy, small businesses can:
- Set up a greeting to answer callers with a custom message that provides basic business information, like open hours or address details.
- Send callers a text message containing a URL so that they can take online actions, such as placing to-go orders or booking appointments.
Alternatively, if the caller needs to talk to someone at the business, then the call is quickly routed to the primary business phone. These features ensure that customers get the information they need quickly, while also resulting in decreased hold times and fewer busy signals.
CallJoy provides customers with the positive experiences they crave, while also untying the phone lines - freeing up employees so that they can focus on the job at hand. Get started with CallJoy today and improve your business’ customer loyalty.