When it comes to delivering great customer service, there are a number of contributing factors that businesses will take into account – but I would argue that ensuring a real person is on the other end of the phone when customers call has to be right at the top of the list.
As a customer, there’s nothing more reassuring than another voice at the end of the line on those occasions that you need advice, want a question answered or even when you want to have a moan.
It’s perhaps the main reason that I have stuck with my energy supplier, Octopus, for so many years because I know that when I call, it will be answered promptly, by someone based in the UK, who knows how to help.
And it’s probably why Octopus continues to score so highly with consumers, why its trophy cabinet is bulging with awards for customer satisfaction and why Which? has named it as Recommended Provider for eight years in a row.
But what if you are a smaller business, an installation company for example, that simply doesn’t have the resources to employ a permanent receptionist, let alone an army of dedicated call centre staff?
Is it OK to just rely on answerphones, emails or website chat bots to field enquiries from homeowners? What if they are looking to call several companies for a quote and they can’t get hold of you – can you afford to miss out on the business?
The latest Voice AI systems present a compelling solution to all of the above, and are available now to glazing businesses.
They can be trained to answer calls, taking names and contact details, ask additional questions to build a picture of the type of job that’s being considered and even book a survey appointment.
They’re not perfect – complaints, complicated questions or high-value enquiries can be relayed to a real person – but in most cases they present a far superior alternative to a missed call, or awkward voice message.
Interested? Then click here to read more about how AI can support your business.
Would you let AI answer your phone?
When it comes to delivering great customer service, there are a number of contributing factors that businesses will take into account – but I would argue that ensuring a real person is on the other end of the phone when customers call has to be right at the top of the list.
As a customer, there’s nothing more reassuring than another voice at the end of the line on those occasions that you need advice, want a question answered or even when you want to have a moan.
It’s perhaps the main reason that I have stuck with my energy supplier, Octopus, for so many years because I know that when I call, it will be answered promptly, by someone based in the UK, who knows how to help.
And it’s probably why Octopus continues to score so highly with consumers, why its trophy cabinet is bulging with awards for customer satisfaction and why Which? has named it as Recommended Provider for eight years in a row.
But what if you are a smaller business, an installation company for example, that simply doesn’t have the resources to employ a permanent receptionist, let alone an army of dedicated call centre staff?
Is it OK to just rely on answerphones, emails or website chat bots to field enquiries from homeowners? What if they are looking to call several companies for a quote and they can’t get hold of you – can you afford to miss out on the business?
The latest Voice AI systems present a compelling solution to all of the above, and are available now to glazing businesses.
They can be trained to answer calls, taking names and contact details, ask additional questions to build a picture of the type of job that’s being considered and even book a survey appointment.
They’re not perfect – complaints, complicated questions or high-value enquiries can be relayed to a real person – but in most cases they present a far superior alternative to a missed call, or awkward voice message.
Interested? Then click here to read more about how AI can support your business.
Luke Wood
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