When you’re out of the office, what happens to the calls that come in?
Do they just go to voicemail and you hope the callers are willing to leave a message (hint: over half of them won’t)? If your business is one of the many that have calls redirected to an answering service, you have the option of choosing to utilize a Follow Me number. This service doesn’t sound like it offers a lot of value, but the truth is that Follow Me is truly one of the hidden gems of the answering service world.
How Does Follow Me Improve Business?
It’s not too hard to see how an answering service can help you make your customers happier and feel more secure, but the impact of Follow Me is less obvious.
After all, having a list of phone numbers ringing and ringing seems like it could be a serious annoyance to anyone near those phones any time the service is being utilized, as opposed to a useful tool. But the truth is that your customers love this service, and you will, too, when you can see its true value.
These are just a few ways Follow Me can make your business better:
- Increased personal touch. Not every company needs a huge team of operators to answer a ton of calls all day long. Some, like yours, rely on more intimate connections with fewer customers to generate goodwill and nurture relationships that lead to longer-term revenue streams.When your company is all about one-on-one relationships, it’s vital that your customers can actually reach you, no matter where you are. Follow Me finds you, whether you’re at the gym or the office, never forcing your caller into voicemail because you need to be away from your desk.
- Improved confidence in your brand. When your callers know they can reach out to you any time, day or night, and actually connect with you, it increases their positive feelings about your company.The better they feel, the more they spend and the more people they tell about how well your brand deals with the problems they need you to solve. Follow Me is a great way to keep the lines of communication open, so there’s never any doubt that you really are invested in those customers and their well-being.
- Faster emergency response. Service companies and medical professionals are often called upon during emergencies to solve complicated problems.When a caller reaches a voicemail system during a crisis, they may feel let down or worse, betrayed. You weren’t there when they needed you most, and that’s not a transgression they’re likely to forget any time soon. Follow Me can be configured to ring multiple people in your organization, giving your callers faster connections to real people, no matter who happens to be available.
When your goal is to give your callers the personal touch during good times and bad, the true value of a Follow Me number can’t be overstated. Opting for this service is a small thing you can do for your customers that can mean the difference between a client that is mildly dedicated to your brand and one that’s an enthusiastic brand ambassador.
