Have You Heard from an Unhappy Customer Today?

The belief that no news is good news doesn’t apply in the business world. Customers who never complain aren’t necessarily always happy. It’s not uncommon for an unhappy customer to simply go to the competition without another word, at least to the affected company. They may find all the right words, however, when they open their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Nextiva recently published a blog on why customer communications may stink for the small business and they don’t even know it. In some cases, the customer may even be trying to communicate with the company, but are met with a communication process that is too complex or a company representative that takes too long to respond to a request.

Whether a company has implemented business VoIP or simply decided to optimize the current platform in place, there are three areas where they can turn customer communication into a competitive advantage. The first area that needs attention is the “when.” A mechanism needs to be in place at every step of the sales and service cycle, providing customers with the opportunity to provide feedback.

Problems and questions can happen at each stage and if the customer doesn’t have an opportunity to share information, get an answer to a question or receive assistance, he or she may just go away frustrated.

Second, focus on the “how.” Customers can vary when it comes to the preferred interaction channel. Customer A may prefer to communicate via text, while customer B always wants a live interaction. It’s important to offer customers a variety of options to ensure the method of communication they prefer is the method available to them.

Finally, the “how soon” is also important. This is tied to the preferred method of engagement as customers have different expectations depending upon the method of engagement. For instance, if they make a phone call, they want a response within 24 hours. If they text, the response needs to come within the hour. An e-mail needs a response the same business day and comments on a blog post or social media channel need to be answered within four hours.

The key to the proper response time is to only offer those communication channels that can be supported properly. If staff isn’t available to answer a text until the next day, a new position may need to be created or the communication channel should be eliminated. Offering a channel that doesn’t generate a response can result in lost revenue and lost customers.

Believe it or not, the phone system put in place can have an impact on the quality of the interaction. For instance, a business VoIP system can enable quality feedback as it allows for deep integration between all channels of communication.

In fact, for 43 percent of companies seeking to adopt VoIP, the integration between voice and data is the key driver for the migration, according to research from InformationWeek. Another 41 percent are also seeking a one-stop communications platform to support customer interactions. With the right strategy in place, a company is better positioned to promote effective interactions through business VoIP. The key is to effectively execute on that strategy to get the desired results.