Consumers have high, real-time expectations of retailers today - yes, even of their favorite local stores. Although they have unlimited online and in-store options, the convenience and expectation of quick service is why many choose to shop at small business retailers. This expectation doesn’t just apply to in-store interactions, but also over the phone. In fact, retail shops have the second highest call volume of any type of small business. Sixty percent of consumers said they overwhelmingly would prefer to contact a business over the phone versus other methods. With that in mind, independent retailers simply can’t ignore the power of the phone line.
Not only is a business’ phone line a necessary customer experience component, but with the right technology, it can be used to better understand patterns for customer inquiries, inventory management and so much more. Imagine all of the value you could get if you knew how often your customers were calling to check whether a certain item is in stock or if your store was open during certain hours.
Enter, call recording. CallJoy’s recording technology and text transcripts make it easy for retail owners and managers to analyze customer calls by giving them unprecedented visibility into metrics, such as what their customers are calling about, the frequency at which they're calling, and more. This information can then be used to improve revenue outcomes, resolve disputes, and create a more modern customer service experience - all while giving you and your employees more time on the store floor.
Let’s break down the top four ways that retailers can benefit from CallJoy’s call recording feature:
- Improve employee training with real-life call examples
Considering that positive experiences with staff increase consumers’ satisfaction by 33% overall, it’s incredibly important that businesses train their teams to provide the ultimate customer experience at every touch point, including over the phone. By recording and transcribing the conversations between staff and customers, business owners can easily identify which responses and actions are working. They can also easily determine the root of a dispute, identify whether the customer or staff was at fault and come up with a solution to benefit all parties.
- Never miss a small detail mentioned over the phone
It’s not uncommon for employees to forget seemingly small details during a call or to forget to take notes to reference afterwards. With the ability to review transcripts or listen to audio of both answered and missed calls, managers can now mine for key details and limit the chances of important information slipping through the cracks.
- Find out what products are being called about most often
Choosing the right inventory is essential to a retailer’s success and keeping an item’s shelf life short is one of the biggest challenges. After listening to and analyzing several customer calls, a retail manager can get a solid understanding of which products are in high demand, or if the store needs to start stocking an item that isn’t a part of the normal inventory. Having a first-hand view of customer trends can help to optimize inventory and ultimately increase revenue.
- Get shoppers the answers they need fast
With CallJoy’s recording and transcription features, it’s easy to learn what’s being asked about most often, such as asking for a store’s address or open hours. Using this information, business owners can set up and customize their CallJoy ‘Call Actions’ to automatically provide basic business information when prompted by the caller or choose to add the textback feature. This frees up employees from having to answer incoming calls and ensures that customers get the information they need quickly, which is a win-win.CallJoy In-Action
Need further proof of how CallJoy can help independent retailers? Just ask CallJoy customer Cliff’s Variety, a landmark retail store in San Francisco that receives a hefty 50+ calls per day. Once Cliff’s set up CallJoy’s transcripts and insights, they found that over 60% of incoming calls were customers asking about product inventory. Now, Cliff’s tracks popular product inquiries in order to stock its shelves to meet demand, resulting in stronger sales.
Start your free 14-day trial of CallJoy today, and begin optimizing your small retail business.