When we say that your current or potential client or customer hates voicemail, we mean they Really… Hate…Voicemail.
According to Consumer Reports, 75 percent of consumers surveyed said that they are highly annoyed when they cannot get a live person on the phone at a business. In fact, “Not Getting a Live Answer” made it the top-rated annoyance in the survey and tied for first place with “Rude Customer Service Representative.” Bottom line: Voicemail isn’t a good look for any business.
And the Dislike Does Not Stop There
Forbes states that 86% of customers prefer humans to chatbots and 85% of consumers will abandon a call after reaching an auto attendant (and it is safe to say that if they stay for the “push one for….” process, they are are not feeling like a valued customer by the time they reach a human.)
Here’s why customers hate voicemail, chatbots, and auto-attenders so much.
- The objective of the call is not immediately fulfilled. Not fulfilling their objective means the client must make more time to call again or wait for a time when it is convenient for the business to call back.
- It makes customers feel like a low priority. At their core, people want to feel as if they matter. Going to voicemail tells the customer that something else matters more.
- They don’t want to “press one for…”. People do not want to wait through a list of choices to eventually leave a voicemail. It makes them feel like they are doing all the work to give you their business.
- There’s no guarantee that they will be heard. If the call went to voicemail in the first place, customers lack confidence that the message will ever be heard.
- Customers see business voicemail as outdated. Most customers believe that with all of the supportive technologies and services available, a business should be able to provide a live answer. If they don’t, customers wonder where else the business lacks.
- Chatbots and auto-attenders are complex and notoriously inaccurate. Both have to generalize customer wants and needs and filter to generalized help.
- Customers do not want to spoon-feed the issue into a system. Filling out endless forms and fields to ask a simple question is a huge frustration to customers.
And here’s why it matters to your business or practice.
Creating a successful business and brand image depends on much more than your actual service. Numerous studies and research conducted to date all drive one main point home– customer loyalty is directly proportional to overall customer experience. No matter how loyal, research today shows that customers today are “conditioned to switch” will stop working with a business they perceive as lacking, and around 60% are fast to take their business to rival businesses.
That makes implementing a live call answering service a high priority for any business that wants to get and stay on top.
Why Midwest Answer Live Call Answering Services Boost Your Business
A call answering service isn’t a business extra. It’s a business necessity. Here are the top reasons why live call answering services are an advantage over voicemail.
- Your potential customers can’t love you if you don’t answer the phone.
- 50%-75% of customers will not leave a voicemail.
- 60% of customers will go to a competitor if they feel service is lacking at their present provider.
- Every missed call means a lost opportunity, reduced revenue, and the likelihood of boosting your competitor.
- It’s easy to deprioritize listening to messages as a business owner.
- Business owners have no way to prioritize voicemails and have to listen through the many sales calls, wrong numbers, and tire kickers to get to priority messages.
- You can meet caller needs without sacrificing in-house service.
- Midwest Answer does not use robotic-sounding scripts. Only real people and real conversations.
About Midwest Answer
Since 1974, we at Midwest Answer have been serving our customers and their callers with answering services that are professional, flexible, responsive, and always friendly. We provide answering services of all kinds and for all budgets, as well as more customized options for specialized needs such as medical answering services, legal answering services, and small business answering services.
Phone calls are the lifeline of any business. Midwest Answer makes sure you never miss them. Call Midwest Answer today to find out how we can help you meet your business needs, 844-720-1115
