The phrase “a nice problem to have” is an easy comment to say to a growing business. When you first launch a company, you dream of the day when your primary problem is getting too many calls from customers.
But when faced with that problem, it’s not as nice as it first seemed. It can cause all sorts of challenges for a growing business, ranging from productivity loss to reputational damage.
Here are seven common signs that a commercial glass company needs call handling services.
1. You Keep Missing Calls Because You Are Too Busy
During peak hours, you can often find demand and inquiries are so high that you miss customer calls.
That’s a problem for commercial glass companies, as an unanswered call means that potential customers may go elsewhere. Commercial glass customers want responsiveness, and their inquiries may be urgent.
The next number dialed on their list could be your biggest competitor. An unanswered call also gives the impression of a business that lacks professionalism and efficiency.
Having a call-handling service means you never have to worry about being too busy to answer the phone, and you’ll never miss a customer inquiry.
It shows you are a professional and dependable company, which creates an important first impression.
2. Your Customers Complain About Being Kept on Hold
Have your customers mentioned your hold times? If so, they are probably finding it a source of frustration. Commercial customers are busy and don’t have the time to spend waiting on the phone.
Over time, putting your customers on hold can damage your reputation and give you an image as a business that doesn’t put customers first.
That can create long-term brand damage because customers need glass companies that are prompt and responsive in an emergency.
Being kept on hold also suggests to customers that you lack the staff and resources to handle their requests. Call-handling services can remedy this problem.
They will boost response times and ensure you don’t keep customers on the phone listening to ambient music.
It will improve customer satisfaction levels, and customers won’t hesitate to call you because they won’t worry about a lengthy and time-consuming call spent on hold.
3. Your Call Routing Process Is Inefficient
Do you find that customers are sometimes directed to the wrong people or departments?
It’s a sign that your call routing is inefficient, and it typically happens when you lack standard processes and rely on team members to make decisions on how to route calls.
But there are two problems with this. First, it can frustrate your customers. And second, it gives your teams more work to do, reducing productivity. So, it is something that needs a fix.
A more sophisticated call-handling system will put these processes in place so you can reduce errors in call routing.
That way, when a customer calls, they’ll get to the right people immediately, who are trained to handle their requests and questions.
That means happy, satisfied customers and a more productive team that can focus on other priorities instead of taking calls, like delivering exceptional glass repair services to customers.
4. You Lack Out of Hours Support
Many customers want something beyond 9-5 nowadays, and 24/7 support is increasingly on offer by leading businesses.
If you lack out-of-hours support provisions, you could lag behind competitors. Worse, you could lose potential leads if that customer has a pressing inquiry.
Round-the-clock support is a great feature to add to your sales page, and it will demonstrate your commitment to excellence.
By using outsourced call handling services, you can launch this 24/7 customer support without substantially expanding your team. It’s a low-risk investment that will have a long-term and positive impact on your business reputation.
5. Your Call Volume Is Increasing
As you grow, you’ll initially feel happy about a high volume of new business calls. But all fast-growing companies reach a tipping point where that increasing call volume begins to feel unmanageable.
You’ll probably find that many of these calls are standard questions about your services, prices, or availability.
As your company expands, you don’t want to spend a disproportionate amount of time getting your team to answer these questions when that same team could spend their time on other important work.
A dedicated call-handling service can take on the responsibility of answering these questions on your behalf. It means you have a scalable call team as you expand instead of putting increasing pressure on your internal staff.
6. You Get Negative Reviews or Lose Customers to Your Competitors
If customers perceive a company’s communication as poor, they’ll often mention this as part of an online review about your business. Sometimes, they may even switch to a competitor.
Check feedback from customers to see if you spot patterns in your communications. It’s often a sign that you must address the problem before it worsens.
Communication issues span many things; Customers might mention a delayed reply or confusing information. That all points to a need for more trained call-answering support staff.
In this case, it might be time to outsource this to a company with experience handling customer calls.
7. Your Staff Feel Stressed
When your staff gets constant calls, it can soon feel too much of a burden.
You may face unhappy or demotivated staff and a lower retention rate. The other problem with stressed and overworked staff is that errors become more frequent, impacting customer satisfaction.
All these signs indicate you need a new approach to your call handling. Your team will appreciate you taking away the demands of answering the phone. It makes it easier for them to focus on their workwithout constant interruptions.
Call Handling for a Commercial Glass Company
Don’t let valuable clients slip through your fingers because you can’t answer the phone. If you have experienced any of these seven warning signs as a commercial glass company, it’s time to take action.
Book a call with our team at Go Service Station to learn more about call answering services. Discover how our experienced and specialist call handlers are the perfect solution for your growing business.
