Adding the human touch in B2C communication: 5 reasons to use the telephone for business

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If you own a business-to-customer (B2C) business, then you might be wondering how to improve customer retention rates and customer satisfaction.

Well, did you know that this can be achieved through having a good business telephone system?

Whilst many people may say that telephone communication for businesses is dying out, especially with the popularity of chatbots and live messaging, the telephone is still here to stay, and here are 5 reasons why:

1. Easy to use

Who hasn’t grown up without a telephone? Or a phone in general? Our society has evolved tremendously to the point that even little ones are able to use tablets and phones by themselves.

As technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, it can become difficult for customers to constantly have to adapt and learn the new communication methods that businesses throw at them.

As a result, it is not surprising that the telephone remains one of the easiest ways to communicate with others.

2. Easy to access

Nowadays, who doesn’t have a phone? It goes without saying that most, if not all, of your customers will have access to a phone, so by having your business’ phone lines open, you will surely receive calls from customers regarding questions or issues that they may have with your products or services.

B2C businesses should leverage the ease of access to telephones by empowering their businesses with an exceptional business telephony that ensures efficiency and effectiveness.

3. A human connection can be formed

Research has shown that customers actually prefer phone calls to other points of contact for customer service. Particularly,61% still prefer to speak to a customer service representative over the phone, whilst 75% believe that calling instead of sending emails or using chatbots will lead to the fastest response time.

As you can see, customers prefer phone calls themselves, especially when it comes to solving problems that they may have as soon as possible. In comparison to emails and live messaging platforms, regardless of whether it’s a chatbot or a live agent, phone calls simply have the ability to form a human connection with the customer.

You are able to hear their voice and general tone of speaking that incites a human-to-human connection that can’t be replicated with messages that are simply typed up.

4. Fast and efficient

Phone calls, particularly via a competent telephony platform such as Microsoft Teams Telephony, enables efficient communication between business and customer. You can expect to never miss a call again, and with excellent audio quality, you won’t have to repeat yourself continuously if the other party is unable to hear you clearly.

For immediate answers to queries and issues, phone calls are probably the best way to get them.

5. Communication and conversation flows better

Sometimes meaning is just lost in translation when it comes to typed messages – some things, especially explaining a complex issue or solution, are better conveyed verbally over the phone than through email or chat messages. When it comes to questions that pop up there and then, clarification on these things can easily be made on the spot with phone calls as well.