A person will only call your business if they need something. Maybe they have a question and can’t find the answer online (or didn’t bother to look). Perhaps they have a problem and want to ask if you can fix it.
There are many reasons why someone will call, but only one thing they care about—talking to the right person. That’s why, if you own a business, it’s time to chat about customer call management!
You worked hard to launch a business that specializes in a particular product or service. But unless you’re a one-person shop, you need to break things down so calls are answered by, or routed to, the right person as efficiently as possible. After all, not every worker is the best person to talk to about every issue.
So let’s look at why it’s crucial for your customers to connect with the right person, right away—and how easy it is for you to make that happen today!
Why it’s important for calls to reach the right team members
Customer expectations are higher than ever. 73% of customers refuse to do business with a brand once they’ve had a couple of negative experiences. And why should they, when there are so many other options on the market?
Businesses get one chance to make a first impression. If that goes wrong, they might get a pass, but pretty soon those customers are gone with the wind. Forever.
Try to empathize…
Say you’re a caller who just bought a product and has a problem with it. You dial the listed contact number—and the person who answers has zero clue what to do about it. But as long as they demonstrate that they care and know who to route the call to, things should go smoothly, right?
Still, you, the customer, were already frustrated when you called. Now, as you wait on hold, you can feel the tension mounting. If the next person who picks up doesn’t know exactly what to do, your blood pressure is going to skyrocket! And if they transfer you again, you’ll feel like you’re getting the runaround.
That’s just one scenario to help illustrate why it’s vital for calls to reach the right team member ASAP. You want your callers to connect with someone who has the time, knowledge, and experience to help them immediately and effectively.
Beyond call routing is call handling!
Your time, and that of your team, carries monetary value. Saving time, and thus money, is yet another reason to manage calls efficiently. Cue our brief overview of efficient call management!
You’ve seen decision trees—flowcharts that start with a hypothetical situation followed by a set of possible options or actions. For each option, there are sub-options and actions, and so on.
Now, picture an incoming call as the starting hypothetical situation at the top of your decision tree…
The phone rings. That’s the starting point of your decision tree.
You don’t know who it is or what they want (unless, of course, you’re already expecting the call). But you can predict ahead of time the most likely possibilities. So grab a pen and, for each possibility, map out how you want to manage it and each subsequent action.
Once you’re done, you’ll have a rough blueprint of your call handling strategy.
Your call handling blueprint should cover actions such as:
- How your business representative communicates with each caller
- How calls are put on hold, transferred, resolved, or blocked
- How call information is captured
- How high call traffic is handled
- Outbound call management
The above are only a few aspects of call handling, which is a start-to-finish process for managing all calls. Call routing is simply when a business answers a call, then transfers it to the right person. Routing is just one aspect of call handling.
Done right, call handling will lead to:
- More calls answered
- More leads qualified
- Faster resolution of issues with fewer delays
- Increased customer satisfaction rates
- Boosted productivity and profits
- Better workplace morale with less stress
Ensure your customers always reach the right person with Ruby!
We hope this article explains how efficient, effective call routing and call handling play a massive role in your business’ success. But where does Ruby fit into the picture?
Studies show that customers vastly prefer personalized, “real people” customer service over inhuman interactive voice response systems and AI chatbots that leave them feeling alienated.
That’s why countless businesses choose the flexibility and affordability of Ruby’s live virtual receptionist service, which can scale as your business grows. Instead of hiring a full-time worker, you’ll only pay for what you need!
Our teams are trained and ready to provide your business with expert call handling and call routing support, 24/7, 365 days a year. Using the information you share, they can answer detailed questions about your business, products, and services at any time, day or night.
We even tackle the greatest time-wasters of all—robocallers and solicitors. With one simple solution, we’ll filter them out fast so you can focus on what matters most.
Reach out today to find out how Ruby can help you achieve your goals with 24/7 live call handling!
