| The role of the telephone has changed over recent | | | | efficiently. There are a number of problems that you |
| years but today it remains a vital instrument in any | | | | need to overcome to do this. The first is to know who |
| successful modern business. Whilst there may be | | | | is calling so you can have any relevant information |
| alternative methods of communication available none | | | | about the customer available. You may know this from |
| has the reliability nor guaranteed response that the | | | | their Caller ID however you can not know what the |
| telephone provides. How would you choose to contact | | | | enquiry is regarding and this presents another problem. |
| the emergency services for instance? | | | | You must answer the call quickly and find out what |
| The telephone provides an immediate connection with | | | | the caller needs from your organisation. However, |
| a real time response. It is due to the mounting pressure | | | | statistically more than 70% of calls can not be handled |
| for immediate response that has driven everyone who | | | | at the first point of contact and need to be held for |
| may at any time be away from their office to carry a | | | | more than 45 seconds before being connected |
| mobile phone. The mobile telephone however has its | | | | (Source: Network Magazine December 2006), so the |
| downsides, for example how many times do you find | | | | chances are that you are going to hold the caller while |
| yourself in an area with no coverage or call someone | | | | you find someone able to help. If you dump the call into |
| on their mobile and not get an answer. | | | | a telephonic abyss of silence callers have been shown |
| The telephone in the office is always reliable and | | | | to hang up typically within 45 seconds so you will lose |
| inevitably your backup to your mobile phone "...for | | | | the call. |
| urgent inquires please call my office on...". | | | | With a competitive commercial market in today's |
| The telephone today is used for inquiries requiring an | | | | business environment losing calls is something which is |
| immediate answer therefore effective use of the | | | | vital to avoid. The solution to these logistical problems is |
| phone is mission critical if you are not to lose your | | | | to provide music on hold on your business telephone |
| customers to a competitor. If you are selling a product | | | | system as this will reassure the caller that they have |
| and they cannot find out if product X has feature Y | | | | not been cut off and to keep them on the line while |
| they will find your competitor and ask the same of | | | | you try to find someone to help. This may be a |
| them, the result being that a sale is lost. After sales | | | | member of staff on their mobile but due to the foibles |
| care is just as important if you have a customer with | | | | of mobile phones this may not be successful, for |
| one of your products that has a problem and they can | | | | example if they are in an area of poor coverage or |
| not get an answer from you when they call, you can | | | | have their phone switched off because they are with |
| expect no repeat business from them especially if this | | | | a client. For guaranteed availability and speed of |
| is their first experience of your level of customer | | | | response it is better to transfer the call to someone in |
| support. | | | | the office where at all possible. |
| When a customer calls you for whatever reason they | | | | Until we have a technology as reliable and robust as |
| expect an immediate answer to their enquiry. It is | | | | the telephone it will remain a mission critical part of |
| therefore extremely important that you handle the call | | | | today's successful modern business. |