Understanding the Impact of Voicemail

Are you underestimating the impact that voicemail could be having on your business? It’s easy to do. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you offer an opportunity to get in touch outside of business hours that it means your customers will appreciate or use it. Here’s why voicemail is not the best solution for your business.

Customers want Instant Results

Think about the last time you had a problem. Did you want to wait around for hours for someone to come and help you with it? Or, did you prefer to speak with someone as soon as you realized that there was a problem? Most people are too busy to play phone tag, especially if they are trying to get a problem solved. Voicemail slows down the resolution process for your customers, and they won’t be happy with the wait.

Voicemail is Frustrating

Most people don’t like leaving messages on answering machines because it feels unnatural, and it can be frustrating trying to remember if you’ve left all the pertinent information needed to resolve the issue at hand. Then there’s the issue of waiting for someone to call you back, if they ever call you back at all. This ‘wait and see’ game can be terribly frustrating for customers who want information or need assistance quickly, and it could drive your customers elsewhere for their solutions.

Voicemail is Impersonal

You go the extra mile to personalize your business in every other way, so why would you use impersonal voicemail to handle your customer service? If you’re too busy to answer the phones yourself, or your staff is too busy to field calls, or even if you just want to be available to your customers 24 hours a day, voicemail is not the solution, but an answering service could be.

Call centres and answering services are the modern-day alternative to voicemail that more and more customers are coming to expect. Not only are they a practical solution for meeting your customers’ needs, they are also a more personal way to handle any problems or concerns your customers may have.  It’s time to say goodbye to voicemail as a customer service tool, and give your customers the personal communication that they deserve.