Welcome to issue #6. In last month's issue, we showed you how to clean out the dirt and outdated ideas that built up in your business. This month, we explain how technology can sharpen your customer service and personalize your marketing.

    Hello, I’m a professional. How can I help you?

    Your website is slick, your business cards are sharp and your brochures look like they were done by Rembrandt. How about the way you answer your telephone? It may have more of an impact on your business than any marketing material.

     

    Every time you answer your telephone, you engage in a form of "personalized marketing." "Personalized marketing" usually means catering to the specific interests of individual clients, but in a broader sense, it's about building relationships. Your ability to acquire and retain customers depends on how you interact with them and what they think of you.

     

    First impressions count, which is why your telephone is important. Your customer is less likely to treat you as a competent highly-skilled professional, if they hear a loud TV screaming in the background of your recorded greeting.

     

    Fortunately, technology provides affordable quick-fixes that make a mom-and-pop outfit sound like a Fortune 500. Consider utilizing professional voice recordings for your business. FreedomVOICE offers a variety of voice talents as well as free advice for professional scripting of your messages.

     

    Two other image-enhancing features are Follow-me Call Forwarding and Call Announcement. Unlike a hardwired PBX system, FreedomVOICE can forward business calls to your home or cell phone. When combined with Call Announcement, you will know which department the caller is trying to reach before you answer the phone. You can even get Caller Screen which identifies the caller. Consider the following scenario:

     

    You're sitting in the waiting room of a vet and your cell phone rings. Your FreedomVOICE system tells you the caller's name and the department they initially dialed. You put down your squiggling dog, compose yourself and answer coolly, "Hello, Mr. Smith. This is customer service. How can I help you?"

     

    What the caller hears is a calm, collected professional. They never see the sick dog.

     

     

  1. Press 1 for great customer service.

    An irritating answering system can cost you business. Make sure it's customer friendly.

     

    Your single biggest marketing tool is customer service, and that begins the moment your telephone system answers a call. No matter how effective you are at promoting, if a potential lead gets lost in a maze of irrelevant and repetitious recorded messages, you’ve lost that sale.

     

    Here are a few tips for turning this potential liability into a resource.

     

    Test, test and test - Almost every consultant has a version of the following story. The CEO couldn’t understand why his business was failing. The consultant asked about the quality of his customer service and the CEO replied it was first rate. The consultant suggested that the CEO call his own company with a simple question. After 45 minutes of being directed to the wrong department and listening to obnoxious hold music, the CEO was ready to rip the telephone out of the wall.

     

    It is absolutely astonishing how many executives have no idea how well their service departments work. Test the system yourself. Ask friends and family to test for you. The less familiar they are with your business, the better. Check every option listed in the menu. Test periodically throughout the year, especially when changes are made.

     

    Keep it short - Nobody wants to listen to long messages. Make it short and simple. Use specialized subdirectories for more detailed options. Don't list every single extension in the initial recorded greeting. FreedomVOICE offers Mailbox Directory Listing, which lets the main greeting refer the client to another recording which gives more in-depth listings. You can also give callers the option of reaching their desired person through the "Dial By Name" function.

     

    After hours and holiday messages - Don't waste your customer's time. If your business is closed for the day, let them know you're not in. FreedomVOICE supplies a separate greeting that comes on after your operating hours. If your customer chooses to leave a message, this will give them confidence that you will get back in touch with them as soon as your business opens.

     

    Return calls immediately - Your prompt call trains your client to feel that your automated telephone system is working for them. Your customer is less likely to object to leaving a voicemail, if he knows you check voicemail frequently. FreedomVOICE lets you do that easily by having voice messages sent to your computer as email attachments or even notifying you by telephone when you have received a message.

     

     

  2. 24/7 automated personalized marketing

    Let your answering system satisfy the specialized needs of your individual clients. Your best sales rep may be virtual.

     

    Interactive automated answering systems are ideal for personalized marketing. Without you lifting a finger, they can identify the interests of your customer, give them information they want and even make a sale.

     

    You can segment your customers before they make the first telephone call. Suppose your business offers a multitude of services and/or products. FreedomVOICE lets you dedicate specific numbers to advertising extensions (also known as Voice on Demand extensions). When the customer calls this number, they are directed to an extension that has information for the particular product they want.

     

    Adverting extensions can refer the customer to another extension, which will deliver even more focused information. If the customer calls about buying a car, the extension can give him options of listening to recordings about foreign or domestic makes. Once that choice is made, he can choose between learning about used and new models. If he wants to, the customer can cruise the answering system, using only price as a criteria. He can even ask the extension to send him a Fax on Demand, so he can see a picture of the car.

     

    This strategy enables the customer to "drill down" to the exact product he wants. Since the customer is making all the choices, he feels he is in control.

     

    Depending on the kind of products and services offered, your interactive answering system may even be able take orders. Once the customer has decided to buy, they can be directed to a "Question and Answer" mailbox, which will prompt the caller to leave his name, address, and so on.

     

    Best of all, your automated answering service is 24/7. Some consumers like to shop off-hours on the theory that they can grab the best buys before the business is opened. This can be important in areas such as airfares and cars sales, where bargain hunting is a major factor.

     

    Whatever your client’s strategic thinking is, you can tailor your answering system to respond to it. By making your answering system work for your customers, you'll make it work for you.

     

If you have any questions about how to use automated technology to improve customer service and personalize your marketing, call FreedomVOICE at (800) 477-1477, ext. 2.

Do you have any comments? Tips about our technology? Success stories? Email us at feedback@FreedomVOICE.com. We'll include the best message in our next newsletter. We want to hear from you!

That's it for now. See you next month when we tell you about how you can make your life simpler and your business more productive with easy-to-generate metrics.

Eric Thomas

All the best,

Eric Thomas

Founder & CEO

FreedomVOICE Systems

    Archives