Migrating to a VoIP Platform Can Drive the Customer Experience - Have You Made the Move?

Without a loyal customer base continuing to grow, it is unlikely that your organization will be able to remain in operation for an extended duration of time. While next-generation platforms such as VoIP can indeed help a business to better serve its geographically separated customer base, other factors also need to be closely analyzed such as the skill sets of the agents assisting customers as well as a way to report problems or concerns after an interaction with a company’s employee doesn’t yield successful results.

Even though you may be aware of the catastrophic affects a less than stellar customer-brand relationship can prompt, have you ever thought about the monetary ramifications these unsatisfactory experiences cause? A recent blog post from business VoIP provider Nextiva highlights the ways in which a company’s bottom line can be shrunken down, highlighting key examples from customer service expert Elaine Allison.

Social Media

In the past, when corresponding with an organization didn’t go as planned, the consumer would likely tell their spouse and closest friends about what happened and advise them to buy their solutions or products from a competitor. Yet with the increasing popularity of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it is now as easy as 1, 2, 3 to let everyone around the globe know about your troubles without ever leaving your couch.

“Now, people are telling their 400 Facebook and Twitter friends before they get to the parking lot,” Allison commented. “Social media has completely changed the game for sharing bad reviews.”

Reigning in Prospective Clients

Do you have any idea how much it actually costs a firm to not only keep current customers happy but also continuously draw in new ones? It is likely that the fees are much more than expected, since it is estimated to cost nearly five times more to onboard a customer than to keep one you already have. Hence, Allison recommends that, to see the best return on investment (ROI), “focus on retaining your current clients and delivering excellent customer service in every interaction.”

The Real Numbers

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in particular need to keep their current clients happy at all times or risk closing their doors forever. Looking at this example Allison discussed where an accounting firm charges a yearly fee of $3,000 per small business client, consider how bad it could get if just one client has a bad experience and then proceeds to tell either 12 current or potential clients about it. Instead of worrying about how many people this sob story could reach, invest your time in ensuring each and every interaction exceeds customer expectations, or it could significantly reduce your revenue stream in the not-so-distant future.

Edited by Alisen Downey