Automated answering services are super popular in today’s society, and they certainly can make life easier for a lot of small business owners. However, they can have some drawbacks and may lead to you losing some sales. If your web presence is good and your marketing efforts are showing leads coming in, but you haven’t gotten any new business, it may be time to ask yourself, “is your phone system costing you business?”.

 
When I Don’t Answer the Phone, How Many Clients Do I Lose?

Answering the phone is one of the most important things you can do to close a sale. Roughly 85% of people who don’t get an answer when they call, won’t call back. Sure, they could just leave a voicemail, but for them, there’s no guarantee that you’ll call back, so it’s easier to just move onto the next business on their list. In fact, 30-50% of sales will go to the business that answers a client first. In this case, if you aren’t first, you really could be last.

 
What if I Have an Automated Phone System? Will I Still Lose Clients?

The short answer here is probably. Approximately 67% of people have hung up out of frustration because they weren’t able to talk to a real person, and 72% of callers who reach an automated answering service will hang up without leaving a voicemail. If someone from your business doesn’t answer your customer’s call, chances are, they’re going to call one of your competitors. Additionally, you don’t want to leave your customers on hold for very long. 53% of customers will only stay on hold for up to 5 minutes.

 
Do My Employees Need to Have Phone Training?

While you may not need to have a professional receptionist, all of your employees do at least need to practice some basic guidelines and courtesies when answering the business phone. Around 74% of customers have admitted to calling a competitor after a negative phone experience. This can include anything from long hold times to a lack of professionalism. The phone is often the first impression customers get of your business’s customer service, so it needs to be a good one.

 
How Soon Should I Follow Up if I Do Miss a Call?

In short, the quicker you can get back to your customers, the better. If you return a customer’s call within 5 minutes of missing them, you are 100 times more likely to get ahold of them than if you wait 30 minutes to call them back. Similarly, you are twenty-one times more likely to close that lead, as opposed to the 30-minute mark. Quick responses make your customers feel important and heard and will keep them engaged in the sales process.

 
If you are getting leads but don’t seem to be getting new business, it may be time to take a hard look at your phone system. New customers don’t have any loyalty to you yet, so you can’t expect them to leave a message. However, if you aren’t getting any leads, contact Creekmore Marketing for help. We offer a full suite of internet marketing services, including SEO, pay-per-click ads, social media marketing, and web design.