It’s an epidemic and one which is the cause of plenty of discussion in the media by psychologists. Yet I’d like to turn this issue on its head. Because, if we are all so addicted to staying connected, why is it so difficult to get through to the people you need to speak to when you need to speak to them?
There are few things more annoying than calling a business associate or a service provider only to be put through to voicemail and told that person is either driving or in a meeting and can’t take your call right now(Indeed, this grievance is perhaps only beaten in the list of annoyances by those instances where one if put through to an automated ‘voice recognition’ service which seems to have immense difficulty recognising your voice!).
While we can make light of this, it’s important to remember that for customers who have chosen to give you their business, a lack of accessibility can be a very big issue.
Taking out a mortgage is a probably the biggest financial commitment a person is likely to make in their lifetime. It’s understandable therefore that they want to be able to get in touch with you, their broker, as easily as possible.
So what can you do? Firstly, make yourself as easily accessible as possible. Obviously there are going to be times when you genuinely can’t answer the phone. But for those instances where you could but don’t as a result of not wanting to seem rude, perhaps we need to rethink our strategies. If you are in a meeting for example and you think the incoming phone call might be from a customer you could politely explain that this is a call you need to take. The person in the meeting will most likely be understanding whereas, should you ignore the call, the person on the phone – unaware as to why you’re not picking up – may be less so.
If you find yourself regularly unable to answer your phone due to travelling etc you may consider employing the use of a third party to manage your phone calls. Virtual offices and receptionists are growing in popularity and could be just what you need.
Secondly, we can prevent the need for customers to come chasing us for information and updates by ensuring they are kept fully up to speed with their case. A good CRM system and automated letter and text messages can be particularly useful in doing this.
Whatever we do, we surely must remember that customers contact us for a reason and if we cannot swiftly help them, they can become dissatisfied at our peril. Good communication is a cornerstone of good service so if you want to gain and retail customers, make sure you make it a key focus of your business.
