http://www.callcenteragency.com/out-of-office-virtual-receptionist.html Businesses have never been more visible than they are today—business owners simply can’t afford not to use every tool at their disposal to satisfy customers. Outside call center and answering services can help ensure that customer needs are addressed professionally and efficiently -- a potential boon to a business’s bottom line.

1. Improving Customer Experience with Call Center and Answering Services
Never in history have consumers had so many choices when it comes to communicating and interacting
with businesses— from email, to social media, to text messaging, to online chat and traditional phone
calls, consumers have more options than ever. Despite the numerous methods of communication
today, however, one thing remains true: Consumers still want the option of contacting a live person to
place orders, resolve problems and answer their questions.
Customer Experience Is Everything
Exceptional customer service is more important than ever, given the abundance of choice consumers
have today. A 2011 study conducted by Harris Interactive revealed that:
●
●
●
86% of consumers quit doing business with a company because of a bad customer experience
89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer
experience
50% percent of consumers give a brand only one week to respond to a question before they
stop doing business with them
These statistics illustrate the importance of customer experience in an ever-competitive world.
How Smaller Businesses Can Stay Competitive
As a business owner, you simply can’t take the risk of missing phone calls from prospective and existing
customers. Regardless of your industry—whether retail merchandising, law or computer repairs—your
number one priority is customer satisfaction, which often begins and ends with a phone call. This is
where a communications expert like Personalized Communications comes in: A professional call center
or answering service can help business owners ensure that their customers’ needs are being met 24/7.
Whether you need help with inbound orders, screening prospective employees, registering people for
an event or setting appointments, a professional communications company can help streamline these
processes at a fraction of the cost of hiring additional staff. Consider the expenses associated with
additional employees—recruitment and hiring, management, equipment costs, office space, telephony
equipment, office products, employee benefits—the list goes on. By outsourcing call center or
answering services you can eliminate many of these costs.
More than Customer Service
Beyond traditional services like order entry and customer support, a professional communications
company may also be able to help your business in some unexpected ways. Personalized
Communications offers customer survey assistance, for example, to help you measure satisfaction levels
within your client base. This information is invaluable for many businesses, alerting owners of red flags
and needed improvements, and highlighting areas where customer needs and desires are being met
effectively.
The importance of client retention to the bottom line of a business cannot be overstated. Satisfied
clients tend to become repeat customers. Repeat customers keep your business alive.

2. Hell Hath No Fury like a Consumer Scorned
Losing a client because of a negative experience can sting even more when the client complains online
via a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, or a review site like Yelp or Angie’s List. Studies
show that negative reviews on sites like these are impactful. The worst thing a business can do is ignore
customer complaints.
The Harris Interactive study found that while 79% of consumers who shared complaints about a
negative experience had their complaints ignored by the offending business, more than half of the
remaining 21% whose complaints were addressed had positive reactions to the company. This clearly
illustrates that addressing complaints pays off. Ignoring them likely has the effect of reinforcing a
customer’s negative view.
About Personalized Communications
Personalized Communications has been providing expert inbound call center and answering services for
over 30 years. We are equipped to serve businesses of varying size and pride ourselves on a highly
trained professional staff of phone representatives and state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment.
Personalized Communications tailors services to meet the specific needs of each client and has helped
countless clients improve their bottom line. Learn more about the services we offer at
www.callcenteragency.com.
Sources: http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/cust-exp-impact-report-epss-1560493.pdf