Phone Answering in the Business World – Rapid Changes Are Upon Us

Posted September 21, 2011 in 24 hour telephone answering services, after hours answering service by admin

Wake Up or Fall Behind phone answering

The ways in which phone answering is handled by businesses around the world are changing at a rapid pace.I recently came across some interesting stats:

By the end of this year, 50% of U.S. mobile phone users will have switched to smart phones, compared to only 1 in 10 in 2008.
Social media is now actively used by 4 of 5 U.S. businesses, compared to less than half in 2008.

The New York City Effect

New York City has been called ‘the city that never sleeps’ because anytime, day or night, you can still get or do just about anything. The business world, like it or not, is rapidly following suite. Numerous statistics like the smart phone and social media adoption rates noted above, lead us to the conclusion that both businesses and consumers will now expect to get information on products and services almost instantly, no matter what time of day or night it is. The channels are many: websites, social media, phone answering, live chat, instant messaging, etc. The real trick is finding the right mix that will work for your business.

The Smart Ones

You would think that with all these advances in communication methods, traditional phone answering services would be on the decline, but many are simply shifting to accommodate the new model. Smart organizations have realized that a quality phone answering service is one of the key ingredients to grow their business and increase customer satisfaction.

Think about it, if your company went through all the time and effort to build a solid referral network, or a quality, search engine optimized website, or a full inbound marketing program with integrated social media, would you really want the first phone call a prospect makes to your organization to go to voice-mail? No! Now that 24/7 availability is becoming the norm, people will expect to be able to reach your business at all hours.

Key Part of the Puzzle

Live phone answering services with quality representatives trained to respond appropriately to the specific needs of your prospects and clients can be an important part of your communications strategy. Utilizing an after-hours service, or 24/7 service, provides a warm and friendly human connection that will reflect positively on your business.

Does your communications strategy address the rapidly changing environment? Or are you at risk of falling behind? We would like to hear your thoughts.

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