Missing calls is part of the learning curve of doing business. Many new business owners feel that missing a few calls is not a big deal; “If it’s something important, they’ll leave a voicemail and I’ll get back to them.” Missing calls is inevitable if you’re doing business solo (unless you’re working with a virtual receptionist!), and if you do

You know the general reasons customers call your business – what are your hours? How does that product work? Why isn’t my product working like you said it would? But why does a customer choose to use the phone to communicate when there are other options available to them? While technology advances and online communication increases, the phone still remains

When a customer with an appointment calls to cancel, they can either be met with a friendly response or a passive-aggressive response. It’s not in your business’ best interest to try and “guilt-trip” customers who need to cancel appointments; instead, your appointment policy should reflect the cutoff time for cancellations and note any fees or charges that may apply after

Are you starting to think the phone is no longer useful when it comes to your customer service needs? Believe it or not, the phone is still the king of customer support. People love interacting with customer service reps on social media, web chat, and email, but it wouldn’t be the same without the ability to call. That’s because the

Communicating via the telephone isn’t usually problematic, but when the phone is used in customer service, issues can (and do, on occasion) arise. You might hear these issues called by many names – rude customers, abusive callers, etc. – but underlying them all could be a simple lack of empathy on the receptionist’s part. Without empathy, normal customer service interactions

Statistics are powerful. Our own opinions and ideas are certainly important, but in the world of customer service, it’s essential to know what real customers want, think, and need through statistics and trustworthy research. Customers’ needs and wants change over time, so statistics that aren’t recent won’t give you the snapshot you need to make growth-geared decisions. It can be

When you first start a business or firm, you handle the calls (which, thankfully, are few in the beginning). Once your company starts growing and taking off, the call volume increases and it becomes obvious that you’ll need someone to take over your call answering duties. In this case, you might consider hiring a virtual receptionist or an in-house receptionist.

If we told you that how you answer the phone can make or break your business, would you think it’s melodramatic? The fact is, the way you greet callers on the phone – or the way you don’t greet them – can undermine or support your success. It’s entirely up to you. If you’re finding that more and more often,

A customer can have many options available to them as far as reaching a company’s customer service department or representative, but many times, the choice comes down to a customer service phone call vs email. Between a phone call vs email, which channel is preferred by customers, and does one have a faster resolution time than the other? Customer Service