Today, businesses continue to automate more and more systems and processes of their day-to-day operations. The whole point of the automation is to save costs and speed up the process involved. So, it seems like a good idea to apply it wherever possible. The customer typically welcomes automation too, as it is supposed to make their experience as efficient and enjoyable as possible.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Especially when it comes to systems that your customers interact with directly, like automated answering services and phone systems. Businesses using these systems usually assume that they save time and money using a computer to do what appears to be a simple task. Could they be wrong?
In a word: Very. It is almost unanimously agreed upon that automated answering systems have a negative impact on the impression that a business makes on customers for the following reasons:
It’s inefficient:
Regardless of what a caller needs or knows, they are all greeted with the same long lists of options and sub-options, arduously providing pieces of information to a computer, only to be handed to the incorrect department or live person half the time and having to start all over again.
- It’s impersonal:
Being greeted by a robotic voice is a far cry from a personal greeting. Customers being greeted this way will almost always feel slighted, with some going so far as to hang up as soon as they hear it. When callers do eventually find their way to a live person, they are likely to treat them in the same cold way that they were greeted to begin with, creating a negative customer experience.
- It’s frustrating:
For the above two reasons as well as a host more, automated answering systems are immensely frustrating to customers, almost always leaving a bad impression.
However, full-time employees answering telephones is costly, that much is still true. So, what is the alternative? Consider a virtual answering service from a company such as communications services industry leader Sunshine Communication Services, Inc. For a fraction of the cost of full-time employees, you can contract highly skilled and professional people to answer your phones and give your customers the personal touch they deserve. If you’re in the service industry, you can also consider a virtual receptionist, taking the hassle out of juggling current and prospective clients and, should you require it, even handling your scheduling.
If you’re interested or would like more information about our virtual answering services, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. We can custom-design a communications service package for your needs and at a price that works for you, from once a week to 24/7, 365 days a year.
