When the Phone Becomes the Front Door

helping customers

For many companies in spring 2020, business models  shifted from tried and true operations to everything happening over the phone. It was uncharted ground, where distancing became the prime directive and in- person interactions were by necessity curtailed. Phone call volume soared to unprecedented levels, resulting in widespread busy signals. Crisis or not, for many organizations the phone has become the front door – and business has changed for good.  In this new terrain, how can you enable your customers to meet demand not only now, but for the foreseeable future? How do you know you’re delivering a great experience when you can no longer see your customer’s reactions?  Many organizations, across multiple industries, are finding new communications and collaboration tools – such as Unified Communications and Contact Centers as a Service – to be indispensable gear for the new landscape. These solutions help businesses of all types meet and exceed customer expectations, drive productivity and accountability, and also provide a positive experience for employee.

HOW DO YOUR CUSTOMERS YOU KNOW WHEN  THE PHONE COULD – OR SHOULD – BECOME THE FRONT DOOR? WE’VE GATHERED SOME OF THE “SYMPTOMS.”

External events: Unforeseen developments can alter business reality overnight.  The worldwide spread of COVID-19 in the opening months of 2020 was a sobering reminder that we’re never truly in control. However, illness and disease are not the only externals that could force a change to how business is done. Think of extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes, which mandate staff relocation. Other examples might be transit shutdowns or protests that prevent people  from getting to the office and encourage a remote customer service
model. Future Proofing: Their current system can receive calls – but can’t route them outside the premises. Even when there’s no immediate impetus to make a change, this scenario offers a telltale sign of future troubles. When the customer’s setup is inherently incapable of sending calls to anyone outside the central office, it’s time to look at alternatives. If they start the discovery process now, they’ll likely be ready before external events force their hands  Off the hook”: demand is surging to unprecedented levels via remote (phone, chat, etc.) channels.
 
When distancing measures were enforced, businesses that typically welcomed customers in person had to rapidly pivot to a remote model. The sheer number of phone calls – in addition to inquiries via chat, SMS, e-mail, and social media – obliterated all previous records. Don’t think this is a one-off outlier, though. It’s very likely that the means of doing business have permanently changed in many industries, and consumer have come to expect greater flexibility in the communication channels offered. Insights not included: the current system cannot deliver the data needed for fulsome insights. How do you know whether you’re delivering a great experience – especially when you can’t see your agents and customers in person? Where are agents spending their time, and more importantly, what’s the impact of that time on the bottom line? These are just some of the questions your customers can answer with a comprehensive suite of reporting tools, designed to improve team performance, enhance customer experience, and enable them to meet and exceed KPIs.  Let’s examine how the “phone as the front door” paradigm is playing out, across multiple industries and throughout the continent.

RESTAURANTS AND TAKEOUT

Even small restaurants and take-outs can encounter bottlenecks with traditional phone systems. In Kentucky during the early months of 2020 and as dine-in patrons shifted to take-out, callers often heard a busy or call waiting tone due to greatly increased demand for delivery and pick-up. That meant lost revenue when the shops couldn’t get to customers in time and capture their orders. Using Elevate®, restaurants can route calls into specific groups of agents for orderly distributed answering, with the option to play a recorded list of specials while customers wait. Building on this capability, Contact Center Express® offers real-time metrics, such as the ability to see calls in queue, wait time, abandoned calls and more. Express also offers smart greetings, keeping callers educated on wait times. Finally, the product delivers extensive built-in reporting, helping managers gauge customer satisfaction now and over the long haul.  Click below to learn more and schedule a free consultation.

 

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