Leaving Money on the Line
A few days ago, I tweeted the following — “So many businesses in Ghana have disconnected point communications that do not improve the customer’s experience. For example — Providing a business phone number but not answering the phone.”
A lot of customers could relate to this issue. This is a common problem with businesses in Ghana but I soon learned that customers in Nigeria and other African countries also experience the same disconnect when attempting to communicate with brands.
Business owners tend to register a “business phone number” without actually using it because they need to be visible online or it makes their business look more legitimate. But this begs the question — What’s the point if you won’t answer the phone or call customers back?
More often than not, if a customer calls a business using the information listed online, they are unable to get a hold of an employee to answer their questions.
Why are businesses leaving some much money on the line (literally and figuratively)? Every potential customer that does not get a hold of someone to answer their questions is money lost for the business. It also sets a negative first impression of the business.
Business owners need to understand that now more than ever, customers have so many options literally at the tip of their fingers. With an increasing number of customers using smart phones as well as an increasing number of businesses on social media and e-commerce websites, customers have access to so many options within a minute of an unanswered phone call.
So how much money are you willing to lose by not answering your business phone or primary communication channel?
The key is to assess the various channels that a customer can use to contact you and decide how you can effectively manage those channels so that every customer is attended to. If you take the time to properly assess which channels customers frequently use and what you can manage, you may realize that you might have to either add more options (Omnichannel) or eliminate channels to improve efficiency and overall customer experience.
No better time than now to stop leaving that money on the line.
