Six very different call experiences
When testing to see how a business performs when they answer the phone, one of the most eye-opening exercises a Director or Senior Manager can do is to ring into their own organisation. This exercise enables them to understand how a customer or supplier experiences the organisation’s performance in answering the call: the wait time, the call menus (if used) and, as a last resort, the answerphone message and associated response.
Yesterday I contacted six organisations. What follows is a summary of the very varied experiences I had. I will relay the way in which they all answer the phone.
A community housing association near London
After twenty seconds of preamble – and twenty seconds is about the normal length of time that a caller is willing to wait before hanging up – it took a further 36 seconds to reach the end of the menu options. I held for the service team but was then advised that I was being returned to the menu to select from one of the options. However, the second time around I was only offered one random option and was then stuck in a loop. Not a good way to answer the phone.
Housing associations are critical components in the delivery of housing in the UK. Tenants deserve a quicker and more efficient service when phoning in.
A high-end beauty therapy salon in London
I called at 9.45 am. I waited for someone to answer the phone but I was greeted by a telephone message advising me that the salon did not open until 10.00 am.
The business in question had clearly invested heavily in luxury branding and its website was excellent. However, anyone wanting to book a treatment for later in the day – or later in the week – would have been disappointed and would have to call back.
For many of our clients, between 9 am and 5 pm Paperclip answers calls that the in-house reception team have been unable to capture within 10 seconds (a delayed divert). However, from 8 am to 9 am and from 5 pm to 6 pm we answer all calls to these clients (this is a ‘full divert’). This ensures the client captures calls from those calling before or after work.
How does a law firm in Aberdeen answer the phone?
Absolutely first class receptionist. Answered after two rings and was calm, professional and helpful. It would be a pleasure to employ this person…but the commute from Aberdeen to Chesterfield could be challenging!
Organisations that care about customer or client service will often have front-of-house reception staff. Paperclip often provides a ‘peak shaving’ service for such organisations, capturing calls after a delay (‘delayed divert’) of, for example, 10 seconds if the in-house reception team has been unable to respond. This could be due to the sheer volume of calls, lunch breaks, comfort breaks, holidays, illness or a variety of other reasons. Having Paperclip in place to capture calls that would otherwise have been missed is a service that is really valued by those that use it.
A mental health charity in The Midlands
This is a really impressive organisation providing essential support services for those struggling with mental health issues.
When I called, I was taken through the menu of options twice which took 95 seconds. After this, the phone continued to ring and I was eventually confronted by a complex voicemail system. I cannot believe this is the best way to deal with calls from people who may be depressed, distressed or anxious.
For most organisations, a high proportion of callers require answers to what can be described as simple ‘frequently asked questions (FAQ)’.The Paperclip team answers FAQs on behalf of many of our telephone answering clients; building up a partfolio of answers in consultation with the client.
However, even if a call is not of an FAQ-type, a problem shared is a problem halved. In this case Paperclip would direct the caller to the most appropriate service. If that service area is busy we can take a message and forward it to the most appropriate recipient.
Being heard, knowing your ‘problem’ is being addressed, is what most people want when they make a phone call, even if it can’t be resolved immediately. Having Paperclip in place to answer calls could hugely reduce the stress on frontline staff and allow them to focus on problem-solving.
A ‘wishes’ charity for children in Greater London
An inspirational charity supporting seriously ill children and their parents.
Calling this charity provided a truly bizarre phone experience. The phone initially rang for 30 seconds. The receiver was then picked up and immediately replaced in order to terminate the call: I was cut off!
However, I could easily have been the parent of a terminally ill child, or a fundraising partner or? What can often happen in such circumstances, particularly if the caller believes their call is urgent, is that they ring again and again until their call is answered.
When organisations are under ‘stress’ in terms of answering the phone, it has a huge impact both on employees’ job satisfaction and on customer service. Using Paperclip can minimise that stress and ensure callers ‘customer experience’ is a positive one.
A health technology company in the North West
This B2B technology service provider answered my call efficiently and effectively.
In this case, I was responding to a request for further information on the services provided by Paperclip.
The technology company was currently using an alternative telephone answering company and were interested in receiving a like-for-like quote. With their current supplier, they purchased a block of calls each week with a fixed cost per call for any over their allocation. In reality, the organisation in question only ever used a small fraction of their allocated calls,
The Paperclip charging structure is markedly different to the above. With Paperclip there is a fixed monthly fee and answered calls are charged by the minute. This delivers a variable cost structure where costs fluctuate in line with the volume of calls answered. In the case of this B2B service provider, the Paperclip approach will reduce their monthly bills by 75%. They are signing up in October.
Conclusion
In summary, out of the six companies I contacted, only two-handled my call professionally. As I run a telephone answering company I may be accused of bias, however, I find this situation incredibly dispiriting. Surely as a nation, we can do better than this?
So, my challenge to business owners and company directors is to phone your organisation’s main contact number on three or four occasions and see how your call is dealt with. Try different times of the day and days of the week. You could also extend the exercise by phoning the mobile numbers of your customer-facing team.
If you are not happy with how your business answers the phone, Paperclip can help.
Hi, I’m Anne Batty, Managing Director of Paperclip. I am passionate about customer service. I believe enduring relationships are built on being open, transparent and trustworthy.
I love questions. So, if you have a question relating to telephone answering – pricing, technical, scope and more – I would love to hear from you at anne@paperclip.co.uk or 01246 418181.
Paperclip’s clients enjoy working with us. I know you will too.