If you run a business, it will have a frankly staggering variety of communication methods at its disposal – including SMS texting, social media messaging and chatbots. Perhaps surprisingly, however, still the most useful to your business could be the traditional, humble approach of picking up the telephone.
In a survey mentioned by Forbes contributor Alison Coleman, 56% of business owners said their customers most often communicated with them by telephone. What could explain the phone’s enduring popularity in this context?
Telephone calls are more personal
While many customers know that businesses might opt to send them quick emails or instant messages while sorting out other tasks in the office, a phone call is the kind of thing that shows you are willing to set aside more than just a few seconds to spend with the customer.
As a result, simply taking that decision to phone the customer demonstrates your dedication. Over the phone, you can also speak with sympathy and sensitivity that might not always come across in mere text.
You can more quickly send and receive information
When a customer wants an instant response, whether as a matter of urgency or simply convenience, they will probably call you rather than send you a text-based message over email, SMS or social media.
The immediacy of a phone call goes both ways, too – as, if you explain something to a customer over the phone but they don’t understand, you can just clarify there and then, as Tech Donut explains.
It’s easy and simple to use a phone
Many customers are unfamiliar with some of the more modern means of communication or aren’t in a practical position to use them; FaceTime (News - Alert) and iMessage, for example, are both limited to users of Apple devices. However, your customers can easily use a phone to chat with you, especially as they wouldn’t need any particularly advanced tech to do so.
Information is safer when imparted by phone
Businesses know how crucial it is that their staff don’t accidentally let sensitive data slip through the cracks and, potentially, into the open palms of hackers and other unscrupulous people.
It’s reassuring, then, that whereas text messages and emails are often naturally stored after being sent and, therefore, could leak at a later date, telephone conversations don’t tend to be recorded as standard. Consequently, once a phone chat is finished, thieves usually can’t get their hands on any copy of it.
A modern telephone system is much more than just the phone
These days, a company’s telephone system is often tied so closely to its other communication channels that switching between them as necessary can simply be a matter of pressing a button. If, for instance, you try to phone someone but they aren’t available, you could leave a voicemail message, Medium points out.
This kind of versatility would be a big reason for your firm to invest in all-in-one telecoms such as voice, data and mobile services by Gamma, a respected, UK-based company specializing in serving commercial clients.
