Many companies make the mistake of assuming missed calls are not a big deal to their business. You may not like finding out that calls were missed, but you accept they happen and then shrug it off. Given that there is a lot of emphasis on digital communication in our modern world, it is easy to assume that these phone calls are not important since you can rely on social media and email.
But when you take a look at the statistics, you will see a different story. Calls that are left unanswered are more important than we assume. 80% of communication for your business takes place over the phone. This is even though many customers are trying to reach you through email and social media. This statistic is one that too many companies ignore, and it may cost your company quite a bit of business.
Missing Calls
Your customers see the phone as one of the best tools to get in touch with your business and resolve problems quickly. It is also a crucial way for you to help your customers. Missing a call can make your customers frustrated because their issues are not resolved and make them feel you won’t provide them with a solution that they need. It also looks unprofessional.
Missed business calls are the ones in which the customer:
- Hangs up themselves on the call because they lose interest.
- They are put into a queue and then are given a chance to have someone call them back later.
- Is given the option to leave their message.
One of the worst things about these missed calls is that it will slow down how productive your customers can be. Productivity concerns can turn into a huge issue if the customer has an urgent need for help. And it will leave money on the table for you. If no one answers, then the customer can’t make a purchase.
There are many reasons you may not be able to answer all of the phone calls for your business. You may not have the right staff to handle all of the calls. You may be away from the desk and unable to answer. Or you may be busy and have to let some calls go. None of these are suitable for your business when it comes to revenue.
Missed Calls will Cost You in Revenue
When your customers cannot get ahold of you and get frustrated or are not able to make a purchase, it will impact your revenues. You will lose all of the daily revenue that you may make for those specific calls in the short-term. You may assume the customer will get back to you, but close to 85% of the people who call and don’t get an answer will never call back, meaning that you lost that opportunity forever.
To see how much this can cost you, take the average amount you make on a deal and multiply that number by how many calls you missed that day, which is roughly the amount of revenue you lost because you could not answer the calls.
The Lasting Effects of Missing Calls
Missing calls usually result in poor customer service, and many long-term problems can come with this. The side effects that will happen to your business if you do not take care of the missed calls include:
- You start to gain a bad reputation with your customers.
- Word of mouth advertising will suddenly go against you.
- It can make you lose a lot of good employees
- Decreases the amount that you will make for each customer.
- Produces leads that end up not converting or helping you.
How to Fix This Problem
Recognizing that you have a problem with missing calls and poor customer service is one of the first steps to making this better. Now it is time to develop an action plan that will make it easier to answer all of your calls and provide the best support to your customers. Some steps to take to help with this include:
Analyze where the calls come from: Look into what number the customers call and how they find your number. Understanding the calls you miss will help you to manage inbound calls better.
Analyze the call frequency and volume: When do you notice most of the calls come in, and how often you receive the calls. This information can help you assign employees to be as efficient as possible.
Evaluate the solutions you have: Are your current solutions enough to handle the call volume, or do you need to make some changes?
You may need to outsource calls to a call center that can help you ensure every call is answered and handled appropriately. If you need help with a small office, then having the calls answered by a virtual assistant may work. If you run a large business, you may want to consider more involved answering services.
While many companies assume that missed calls are not that big of a deal, it can affect many things with your business and reduce revenue. Come up with an excellent plan to help limit those missed calls (and hopefully eliminate them so that you can improve your customer service.
About Endicott Call Centers
Endicott Call Centers is a national call center company with omni-channel services. We are fully equipped to help you with your business and with any particular circumstances. We draw on decades of experience to help you make the right decisions for your business.
Endicott offers full-service virtual receptionists and a wide variety of other services to help you run your business more efficiently. With Endicott, you have access to:
- Highly-trained, professional Agents & Receptionists
- Customized scripts
- Live agents 24 hours a day
- 100% US-based locations
- English & Spanish Speaking Agents
- HIPAA-compliant For Medical Support
- 24/7 Solutions for Dentists, Legal offices, eCommerce, and many other industries.
- Full access to call management and tracking tools that enable you to regularly monitor and evaluate our performance and help you manage your business effectively
Please request a quote or call 800-947-3227 to learn more about our solutions for creating exceptional customer service experiences for your clients. We’re happy to offer our insight into what your customers and employees seek from your company.