Is your customer service plan up to par? If it isn’t, then you need to make some changes right away. Companies lose $62 billion a year to poor customer service.
Good customer service is one of the most important factors that influences customer satisfaction. Today, the channels that businesses use are very diverse: email, online chat and even lately you begin to see the use of WhatsApp in e-commerce. Even so, many customers still prefer the telephone as a communication channel to request information. One of the most effective and flexible solutions that has emerged in recent years in business telephony are virtual switchboards.
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Choosing the right telephone service is an arduous task these days, since there are so many available. It can be difficult when you forget what the real needs of the company are.
You need to make good customer service a top priority when buying a telephone solution for your SME. One study from McKinsey and Company showed that 70% of customers make purchases based on how they feel they are being treated. Sadly, bad experiences can be devastating. You will need 12 positive customer experiences to make up for one bad one.
What are the characteristics that you need to pay attention to when choosing a telephone solution, such as a hosted PBX system? Some of the most important are listed below.
Numbering
The most immediate thing is to think of a geographic number. The main advantage is that it does not pose a barrier to customers when calling since they are included in most flat rates. Numbers that use 1-800 are perceived by customers as expensive and in some cases will avoid calling these numbers. The best option for the customer is a 800 number as it is free to the customer, but will impact more expenses for the company. This was more important before the use of mobile phones, but it is still important for people that don’t have unlimited minutes with their calling plan.
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Calling vouchers and flat rates
When finding a system for taking calls, it is advisable to choose a service that includes some type of bonus or flat rate to control telephone costs. It is important to always read the fine print to know how many real minutes the flat rate includes and which destinations are included. Depending on the type of calls that are going to be made, it is advisable to contract a voucher for calls to fixed, mobile, international or a mixed voucher that includes everything.
Terminals
To make and receive calls, you need some kind of terminal. The most common options are:
- Using a phone software or softphone from a computer or smartphone,
- with an adapter for analog phones,
- with a desktop or cordless IP phone,
- can also be used diversions to fixed or mobile already existing.
- The cheapest option is usually to use a soft phone, but most providers offer IP terminals for rent to reduce the initial investment.
There are a lot of factors to look at when choosing a terminal. These factors should help.
Transfers and diversions
If more than one position is available in the company, it will be necessary for the switchboard to have a transfer service. These can be used to divert calls to other telephones in the course of the conversation. It is important to check that the chosen service allows you to transfer calls to other internal extensions as well as to external numbers (both fixed and mobile).
Another option is call forwarding, which allows calls to be redirected directly to the mobile at certain times or when not answered on a terminal in the office.
Hosted
You may also want to consider hosted phone systems. One of the benefits of hosted phone services is that they can be managed by a third-party organization. They have a broader range of features than traditional phone systems. You can easily add more lines to your hosted phone system to enhance your communication with customers. You can use a hosted phone service to get great features at a reasonable price.
To learn more about the right hosted phone system for your business, get in touch with PBX Hosting Ltd.