5 mistakes to avoid when communicating with customers

In this post, a leading UK telephone answering service, Bizik, shares the top five common mistakes to avoid.

1. Allowing calls to go to voicemail

Can you remember the last time you left a voicemail? More importantly, can you remember the last time you left a voicemail when calling a business? Research by Comxo shows that the majority of people (60%) don’t leave a message if their call goes unanswered.

It’s easy to see why. When a customer calls a company, they expect:

1. Someone to pick up the phone, and
2. Their query to be resolved

Whether it’s after hours or support agents are busy helping other customers, letting a call go to voicemail means your business is unavailable. As a result, the customer is left feeling ignored and insignificant.

What do they do next? Since they’re unlikely to call you again, they call a competitor instead.

Every call that you allow to go to voicemail is a missed opportunity. It also shows customers you’re not there to help when they need assistance. This is detrimental to satisfaction levels and the overall customer experience.

2. Making contact details hard to find

Another mistake to avoid is making your company’s contact details hard to find. If a customer wants to get in touch with you but can’t find your email address or phone number in the usual places, it creates the impression that you don’t want to hear from them.

It also complicates the customer journey, which can cause frustration and dissatisfaction and taint your brand’s reputation.

No matter why a customer wants (or needs) to contact you, it’s essential to make that as easy as possible. Your website should have a clear ‘Contact Us’ button and multiple contact methods, such as phone, email, and live chat.

Social media links are also useful, as many customers prefer to get in touch via a direct message on Instagram or Facebook. The key is to display your contact details where customers would naturally expect to see them and offer a variety of communication methods.

3. No option to call the business

It’s easy to assume that customers nowadays prefer to contact a business by email or social media. However, numerous research sources show that phone calls remain the preferred method of contact. So, failing to give your customers the option to call you is a monumental mistake.

Customers typically rely on phone calls when they have a complex or urgent issue. That’s when they need quick and effective support. However, if you don’t have a contact number, you can imagine how much more stressful and frustrating that can be for the customer.

It’s useful to offer people several ways to contact your business, but that’s not always possible. Regardless of your business size, phone lines should be a non-negotiable. Avoid this common mistake that turns customers away, and always give your audience the option to call you.

4. Taking too long to answer

Customers generally expect a business to answer the phone within 20 seconds. That’s roughly seven rings. Of course, the quicker, the better, but a delay in picking up the phone puts you at significant risk of losing the customer’s interest and loyalty.

Remember that the caller doesn’t know why you’re not answering. You could be dealing with an emergency or simply lacking the manpower to tend to every caller immediately. Either way, the customer’s impression is that you’re ignoring them.

So, avoid this common mistake and strive to answer calls as quickly as possible for the best customer experience.

5. Poor phone call experience

Creating a poor experience is a crucial mistake to avoid when communicating with customers over the phone. On top of answering calls promptly, support agents should be empathetic, understanding, and knowledgeable and aim to resolve queries swiftly and effectively.

All these factors facilitate a positive and memorable experience, filling customers with confidence and trust in the business and encouraging them to return. In contrast, the absence of these vital elements creates a poor experience and discourages people from calling again.

Avoid customer service mistakes by choosing Bizik

There are certain do’s and don’ts to be mindful of to communicate effectively with customers. However, if you choose Bizik as your telephone answering provider, you won’t have to worry about these rules.

Their highly trained virtual PAs will answer all your calls within five seconds and ensure that every interaction is positive. Visit the Bizik website to learn more and start your 7-day free trial.