How telephone answering services can improve client retention

When you open a new UK office, it’s clearly desirable to seek new prospects and clients, but it’s also extremely important to look after the customers you already have. But how can you guarantee a quick response to your clients’ calls throughout the working day when you are busy with meetings? And what about dealing with overseas customers or those in a totally different time zone? That’s where a good telephone answering service can help you.

Speaking with a real person

No matter how much information you provide for your clients on your website and regardless of how efficient you are at answering emails, people still prefer to speak directly to a human being when they have a query. A lack of response to their phone calls or merely getting through to a voicemail service or automatic message is a sure way of alienating, frustrating, and potentially losing those important existing customers.

A good live telephone answering service means that your existing customers can be confident of always getting through to a real person, 24/7. However, for a really good customer service experience to be provided, it’s important that your answering service staff have access to existing customer information and an understanding of likely queries relating to invoices etc. that may arise.

Why good customer service is so important for your existing clients

Obviously, customers who place regular orders for your goods or services are important when it comes to your monthly revenue. However, retaining them is also vital if your business is to thrive and grow.

Think about it; a poor customer service experience suffered by one client is likely to be passed on to their business contacts by way of a negative recommendation. Those people may then feed back this information to their own associates and suppliers, who in turn may do the same. Add to this the likes of Twitter, Facebook and the myriad other social media sites and forums used by businesses and you can see just how rapidly and extensively your business reputation could be damaged.

A well-informed, efficient live answering service could turn the above scenario completely on its head. Happy customers will tell their associates, and your business’ good reputation for looking after its clients will spread out like ripples across a pond. Because of this, you may find that new clients actually come to you, thus saving you the expense and hassle of extensive marketing campaigns, whilst your business continues to grow and thrive.

In conclusion

Employing a good live answering service is a sure way of keeping your existing clients happy and indirectly boosting your marketing activity and generating business for your new UK office. Can your business really afford not to have one? Goodwille offers telephone answering services as part of our Virtual Office service offering. Read more about how we can support your business in the UK and contact us today for more information.