There is a growing trend among many businesses in which they are encouraging customers to call them for questions about everything from sales to technical support. This trend makes sense, as customers are increasingly valuing customer service.
In fact, in a recent study reported by the Harvard Business Review, a positive customer experience directly correlates with a dramatic increase in the projected annual revenue of that customer. More specifically, a customer who reports their customer experience score as 10 out of 10 will generate, on average, 240% more revenue for that company each year.
Clearly, there is a very powerful value associated with improving the customer experience. The question is whether or not click-to-call ads are benefiting your business or hurting it.
Why encouraging customers to call makes sense
The vast majority of consumers in the United States now have smartphones. According to a study conducted by Statista, the number of adults in the United States with a smartphone is estimated to be around 55.4% of the population, a significant increase from 2010, when that number was around 20%. The study indicates that Americans (as well as many others around the world) are spending dramatically more time on their smartphones and mobile devices.
As a result, it makes sense that companies who want to improve their customer service levels would encourage these consumers to contact them for any of a myriad of reasons by utilizing click-to-call advertisements.
The problem with dramatically increasing your company’s call volume
Perhaps the biggest problem associated with click-to-call ads is, ironically, their success. An effective click-to-call advertising campaign will, by definition, result in a substantial increase in the number of calls that your company receives. While this might appear to be a positive development on the surface, there are a number of very real complications that arise as a result.
Fundamentally, all of these problems stem from an inability of your existing customer service department to handle the influx of calls coming in. Without enough staff, you will have to choose between unacceptably-long wait times, or calls in which customer problems are not always fully addressed. Both of these choices are not really choices at all, as they are counterproductive to the goal initially set forth with the click-to-call ad campaign.
The solution to dramatically increased call volume
There are a few different ways that a company can handle the increased call volume associated with a click-to-call ad campaign. The first option is to simply not run the campaign in the first place. While this would prevent the influx of calls associated with such a campaign, it would also prevent your company from deriving any of the benefits either.
The second option is to dramatically increase the number of customer service employees that are on your payroll. While this is a viable option, it can also be an expensive one. On top of that, you will have to expend considerable time and resources training these new employees.
The third and best option is to utilize a call overflow answering service. By outsourcing the first-level calls to a call center, you can provide all of the benefits of allowing customers to call without needing to dramatically increase your staff. For simple questions and issues, the highly-trained representatives in your call center can ensure that customers are taken care of efficiently and completely. For the more complex issues that will inevitably arise, those calls can easily be forwarded to your own department, where your employees can focus on the truly challenging and important calls.
Ultimately, a click-to-call ad campaign can either be a positive or a negative for your business. The key is ensuring that you have the logistical infrastructure in place to handle the increased call volume associated with such a campaign. And if your business is not capable of handling the influx of calls, partnering with an answering service such as MAP Communications can help manage the calls and improve your customer service. Call us today at 888-252-6555 to get started or contact us here.
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