At TOUCH, we really try to make our team feel appreciated.
For this years annual CSR Appreciation Night – we had our favourite guys and gals come together for some bowling at Splitsville.
It was definitely a night full of laughs and fun.
And we should mention – delicious food and drinks too, for the appetite we all worked up!
For certain types of businesses, such as a busy auto repair shop or medical practice, their bottom line is driven almost exclusively by customers booking and keeping their appointments. Frustration can occur for the customer if the business accidentally overbooks itself, same goes for the business owner as well when the customer is a no-show and precious time and productivity is lost.
Some companies choose to dedicate employees to the task of setting up appointments with customers, then calling to remind and confirm the appointments. This is often not the best use of the time and talent of the employees. Outsourcing these tasks to a company like TOUCH Communications can help to ensure that all important appointments are scheduled and kept while allowing your team to focus more on what they do best – running the operations of your business.
When your customers call in to arrange an appointment, our service works by having calls transferred to one of our friendly and professional attendants. Using a web based booking calendar, we find a time slot that works best for both you and the client.
This will provide you and your staff with more time to attend to actual appointments and less time spent booking them.
When appointments are booked weeks or even months in advance, such as a medical practice, it is understandable how a customer might forget. If the customer misses the appointment, that is a loss of revenue for the business, not to mention how upsetting it will be for the customer if they have to wait several more months to get another appointment.
Appointment handling from TOUCH Communications includes a verification service whereby your customers can receive a friendly telephone reminder of their appointment. Your customers will appreciate this added level of service, it will also mean less appointment no-shows for your business.
Let’s face it, as much as you would love every customer to keep every appointment, the fact is that plans change, people get ill, and jury duties happen. When a customer needs to cancel or reschedule their appointments, having a professional on your side who can help keep everything straight is a real bonus.
When you are using TOUCH Communication’s appointment handling service, customers who call in to change their appointments will be directed to one of our friendly staff who will remove that customer from their time slot, arrange a new time with them if they wish, and replace their old time slot with another booking. This helps you to avoid downtime in your business.
One of the main concerns that most business owners have when using a service like ours is that the interactions will be cold, impersonal or generic. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. When we answer calls from your customers, we are representing your business and your brand.
Before we take our first call for you, we take the time to get to know your company and customize our approach specifically to your business. In appointment handling we ensure that we understand your business enough to book the appropriate amount of time for your clients; what questions we should be asking, etc. Our goal is to make sure that we handle your calls with the same care and brand consistency that you would for your business.
Being approachable and available is a huge part of what goes into creating a successful business. In today’s world, your website should answer a broad range of questions, but this never negates the importance of being able to pick up the phone, and speak to a real human being.
At TOUCH Communications, that is exactly what we specialize in: being human. You could say that we even make a living at it. We support businesses across the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with premium call answering services.
Here’s how it works. By enrolling your business with TOUCH, one of our experienced professionals will customize a program that responds to the unique requirements of your company. We will formulate a plan that takes into account the number of staff members on your team, and what their telephone rolls are. Our sophisticated software system allows us to quickly and easily track who is available at what time of day, who is off for the day, and who is on vacation, and redirect calls as necessary.
In the many cases when we take a message, we make sure you can access your messages using a variety of platforms. For example, text message, email, page, and web access. By taking advantage of TOUCH Communications’ call answering services, your clients receive the best customer service possible, and you don’t miss a beat. A lead will never slip through the cracks.
In addition to our Message service, TOUCH offers Live Call Transfer. This means that your phone calls follow you! Your caller will be greeted by a human, asked the reason for their call, and briefly put on hold while they get transferred to your location, whether you’re lounging on the beach, waiting to board your flight, or simply on your way to the office. You’ll never miss a call, making both your bottom line, and the boardroom very happy.
We should mention though, that you don’t always have to be on call. Before each and every transfer we’ll ask you if you’re available to take a call. If you’re not, just say so, and we’ll take down the details and make them available to you at your convenience. If you are headed on vacation (you lucky duck) we will transfer your calls to a staff member of your choosing for the duration of your trip.
TOUCH’s customizable plans can be tailored to suit your business. You may pick and choose from our long list of services and add ons to find the best fit for your needs. Our top priority is providing quality customer service not only to our clients, but to your clients as well. If you would like to discuss how TOUCH Communications can benefit your business, get in TOUCH with one of our representatives today!
With the rise of e-commerce, smartphones and PVRs, today’s consumers are looking for instant access to information and assistance 24/7, so when they call your business, they do not want to leave a message and wait for someone to call them back. If they find themselves transferred to voicemail, many will simply hang up. If you’re lucky, they might call back later, but if you’re unlucky they’ll simply call your competition instead.
While just about any type of business can benefit from Live Call Answering, there are certain kinds of businesses that find this service particularly helpful.
Whether you do all of your business online or only a portion, listing a telephone number on your website, is important to give credibility to your website. Of course, this means that it is important that someone is available to take calls!
While potential customers may be quite comfortable shopping online, they may still have questions about your product or service. If this is the case, they might not be willing to actually make a purchase without the opportunity to speak to a real person. With Live Call Answering, you can be sure that your customers’ calls get through every time.
Many professionals such as accountants, financial advisors, and real estate agents find themselves regularly “out of the office” either helping their clients or drumming up new business. Since good customer relations are the lifeblood of these professions, they don’t want the calls of their valuable clients to have to go unanswered.
But since many of these professionals are essentially running one person operations, it isn’t practical for them to always be available to pick up the phone. With Live Call Answering, people in these professions can ensure that their clients receive the customer service that they deserve.
Many businesses which provide trades services to homes and businesses do most of their business on location with their client. Home renovators, plumbers, electricians and landscapers often have small companies in which most – if not all – of their team is working on location.
When a customer calls, it is important to quickly sort out which calls need an immediate response (such as a plumbing emergency), and which calls can be handled at a more leisurely pace. If a trades service worker is on location with one client, they don’t want to seem rude by taking up time talking to another person who calls in.
With Live Call Answering, different types of calls can be screened and forwarded to the appropriate company representative. It is win-win-win. A win for the person who is calling in and receives assistance immediately; a win for the client you are on location with as their own project is not being interrupted; and a win for your business which can keep its reputation for great customer service.
It is amazing how much some businesses can accomplish with only a small team of people. Whether it’s an office environment, a warehouse or a small machine shop, some companies seem to be able to take on the world with limited staff.
Of course sometimes this means that the entire team is engaged with operating the business and there is not always someone available to take calls. With a limited budget for personnel, it simply may not be possible to have a dedicated staff person to answer incoming calls.
Fortunately, Live Call Answering service is available to help these types of businesses as well. This solution is less costly than hiring a dedicated receptionist or switchboard person, and it ensures that your business won’t lose potential customers just because your small but mighty team was busy with day to day business operations.
As a business owner, you know the challenge of getting customers. It can be a dream come true when you don’t have to go after them, but rather they call you. So you shouldn’t waste the opportunity by letting their calls go unanswered – especially when Live Call Answering offers a simple solution.
We’re really excited to jump into this, and share with the rest of the world on what’s happening inside the walls of this #HamONT answering service. Not only do we plan to spoil you with fresh content, we’d like to provide you with a bit of insight on the things that make us… well, us!
TOUCH Communications first started out as a vision in 2007, by owners Allan and Gail. A vision to be trailblazers in the answering service business, by going further than just taking a message and paging it out. Since 2009, Touch has and continues to be an extension of our clients’ companies. We like to call ourselves offsite receptionists.
Initially, we started out with just Allan and Gail, and a few clients.
Today, we are proud to say that we’ve grown to a diverse team of 30+ CSRs that can cater to over 400 clients. Keep an eye out for our team in future posts, and feel free to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!