In today's busy world, being available all the time is really important for businesses. Did you know that 90% of customers think it's important to get a quick answer when they have a question? This shows why being available 24/7 is so important. Research also shows that businesses that offer help all the time have 35% happier customers and keep 25% more of them.
24/7 availability means your business can help customers any time, day or night. It doesn't matter what time zone they're in or if it's outside normal business hours. Two important tools that help with this are phone answering services and virtual landlines. These tools work together to make sure your business never misses a chance to talk to customers. This can help your business make up to 20% more money by being more responsive and engaging with customers better.
Why Being Available 24/7 is Important
Customers today expect quick answers, no matter what time it is. In fact, 77% of customers say they want to be able to talk to a company right away when they reach out. This isn't just during business hours - customers want help when it's good for them, which could be early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends. A study by Harvard Business Review found that companies that answered customer questions within an hour were seven times more likely to get new customers than those that waited even 60 minutes.
Being available all the time can make your business stand out from others. It shows that you care about your customers' time and want to help them. This kind of service can make customers much happier and more loyal. Research shows that 86% of customers are likely to buy again from a company after they have a good customer service experience. Even more, 93% of customers are likely to keep buying from companies that give excellent customer service. This shows how being available can really help a business grow.
Being available 24/7 also lets your business help customers in different time zones. This is really important for businesses that work in different countries or want to get more customers from around the world. For example, an online store in North America can help customers in Europe and Asia during their busy times, which could double or triple the number of customers and how much money the business makes.
Phone Answering Services: Helping Businesses Be Available All the Time
A phone answering service is a professional service that answers phone calls for your business. These services make sure that every call gets answered, even when your business is closed. This is really important because 65% of customers have switched to a different brand because of bad customer service. Studies also show that businesses using professional answering services get 27% more new customers and lose 35% fewer customers.
Using a phone answering service has many benefits:
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It makes sure no calls are missed, which could help you sell 30% more.
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It makes your business look more professional, which makes customers trust you 40% more.
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It works for businesses of all sizes, letting you help more customers without hiring more people.
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It can cost 50% less than having your own 24/7 call center.
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It can help customers who speak different languages, which is great for businesses with customers from different places.
Phone answering services are really important in areas like healthcare, online shopping, and legal services, where quick answers can make customers much happier and even keep people safe. For example, in healthcare, being available 24/7 through answering services can help patients get better by making sure important information is shared quickly, which could save lives in emergencies.
Virtual Landlines: Helping Businesses Be Available and Mobile
A virtual landline is a phone number that isn't connected to a specific phone or place. Instead, it can send calls to any number you want, like a cell phone, home phone, or office phone. This is really useful in today's world where most people use cell phones. In fact, 84% of Canadians had a smartphone in 2020. Around the world, even more people have smartphones - over 6.6 billion people, which is 83.72% of everyone in the world!
Virtual landlines have many benefits:
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Calls can go to any device, so you can answer no matter where you are. This can help you answer 45% more calls.
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It makes your business look professional without needing an office, which is great for small businesses. This could save you $1000 a month on office rent.
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It's cheaper and can grow with your business, saving up to 70% compared to old-fashioned phone systems.
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It has cool features like recording calls, sending voicemails to email, and custom greetings, which can make your customer service better.
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It helps employees have a better work-life balance by letting them manage work calls separately from personal calls, even on the same phone.
Virtual landlines help businesses talk to customers in many different situations. For example, a small business owner can answer customer calls professionally while working from home or while out and about, always sounding like they're in an office. Also, a company with employees in different places can still have one business phone number, no matter where the employees are. This flexibility is really important now, with 58% of American workers being able to work from home at least one day a week.
How Phone Answering Services and Virtual Landlines Work Together
When you use phone answering services and virtual landlines together, you can create a really good way to help customers. Here's how they work together:
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A virtual landline gives you a professional business number to use in all your ads, which can make people trust your brand 30% more.
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During work hours, calls to this number can go to your office or cell phone, so you can talk directly to customers.
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After work hours, or when you're busy, calls automatically go to the phone answering service, so someone is always available to help.
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The answering service handles calls professionally, taking messages or giving basic information as needed. They usually answer 98% of calls within three rings.
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You get detailed messages and can call customers back quickly, answering up to 60% faster.
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Both systems give you information about call patterns and customer behavior, which can help you improve your service.
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Using both services together helps handle calls smoothly during busy times or when you suddenly get a lot of calls.
Using these services together means your business is always ready to help customers, giving them a consistent and professional experience. Studies show that businesses using this approach have 40% happier customers and 25% fewer complaints.
Things People Often Get Wrong About Being Available 24/7
There are some myths about being available 24/7 that often stop businesses from doing it. Let's look at two common misunderstandings:
24/7 availability, near instant feedback, can work on multiple tasks in parallel, never forgets anything.
— Lenny Bogdonoff (@rememberlenny) December 11, 2024
Myth: Only big companies can afford to be available 24/7.
Truth: Services like phone answering and virtual landlines make being available 24/7 possible for businesses of all sizes. These services can actually be cheaper than hiring full-time staff, costing between $1.39 to $2.69 per call. For small businesses, this can save up to 60% compared to having their own customer service team. Plus, these services can grow with your business, so even small businesses and people working alone can use them.
Myth: You need to hire a lot of new people to be available 24/7.
Truth: Virtual tools and services mean you don't need to hire more employees. They let you provide service all the time without needing a big team in your office. This is really helpful for small businesses and new companies that want to compete with bigger businesses in customer service. A study found that companies using virtual services for 24/7 availability spent 40% less on customer service than those with traditional in-house teams. These services also often have backup systems, so they keep working even during unexpected events or really busy times.
How to Make Your Business Available 24/7
Making your business available 24/7 doesn't have to be hard. Here are some steps to get started:
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Figure out when your business needs the most help and when customers call the most. Look at your current call data to see patterns and busy times.
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Choose good companies for phone answering services and virtual landlines. Look for companies with good reputations and experience in your type of business. Think about things like how they can grow with your business, how they work with your other systems, and what other customers say about them.
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Train your staff or work with the service providers to make sure customers always have a good experience. Make sure they understand your business, products, and common customer questions. Create a guide for handling different situations.
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Keep an eye on how things are going and make changes based on what customers say and how well the service is working. Regularly look at call logs and how satisfied customers are to see what can be improved. Always be ready to make your 24/7 service better.
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Connect your 24/7 availability solution with your other customer service tools to make sure all customer information is in one place.
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Tell your customers about your new 24/7 availability through your website, social media, and emails.
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Think about having different levels of support, where urgent issues are handled right away, and less urgent questions are answered during normal business hours.
Remember, the goal is to provide good service all the time. It's not just about being available 24/7, but about giving the same level of professional and expert service around the clock. Regularly check how your 24/7 availability is affecting customer happiness, how many customers stay with you, and how your business is growing to make sure it's giving you the results you want.
Conclusion
In today's fast-paced world, being available 24/7 is really important for businesses that want to stay competitive and make customers happy. Phone answering services and virtual landlines are affordable ways for businesses of all sizes to offer help around the clock. The facts are clear: businesses that are available 24/7 have much happier customers, keep more customers, and make more money.
By using these tools, you can make customers happier, run your business more efficiently, and improve how people see your brand. You'll be able to help customers in different time zones, never miss an important call, and always give a professional experience. The potential for your business to grow is big. Studies show that companies offering 24/7 support can make up to 30% more money from each customer over time and sell 25% more.
Don't let your business fall behind. Take the next step to make your customers happier by looking into phone answering services and virtual landline numbers. Your customers - and your business - will thank you. Remember, in today's digital world, being there when your customers need you isn't just good service - it's what can make your business stand out and be successful in the long run.
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