In a sea of new means of digital communication, it’s easy to think that telephones are defunct.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although people can now talk through a wide variety of devices and platforms, the trusty phone is still an important means of communication, especially for business.
Although new technology such as chatbots has come down the pipe, phone calls and their potential for human interaction remain crucial to the success of your company. Here’s why:
1. Phone Calls Make It Personal
Whether your customer is seeking support, interested in making a purchase, or wanting to make a complaint, talking to someone on the phone is a far superior means of communicating with them. They can hear the tone of your voice and understand that you’re listening and responding to them — something that online chat or email can’t provide.
Plus, it’s psychological: People feel more connected, supported, and trusting — and therefore more likely to buy — if they hear someone’s voice as opposed to receiving cold emails or texts.
2. Direct Conversations Avoid Miscommunications
Although body language is a key part of communication, tone of voice is still very important. With email, text, and chat, both body language and tone are absent, making misunderstandings much more likely. With phone calls, both parties can pick upon nuances and get misunderstandings cleared up immediately. The ability to hear someone’s actual voice does wonders for communication.
3. Personal Touch Builds Trust
Due to an epidemic of poor email etiquette, people have come to expect that people won’t answer them if they email with their concerns. With chat, it can be hard to tell what either party is asking or pick up on tone. However, with phones, customers can feel immediately heard and know that their concerns are being actively worked on.
4. Some Things Are Better If Unwritten
If you’re dealing with sensitive information, calling is usually a much safer alternative to emailing, texting, chatting, or faxing. If talking in person isn’t an option, a phone call is a much better option than potentially recording sensitive information that could be intercepted by prying eyes. Calling rather putting it into writing is a best practice that protects both you and the customer. According to the Harvard Business Review, many people still tend to overestimate their ability to convey the right tone or emotion in emails indicating that phone calls may be a better option to say it right.
5. Safer When You’re On-The-Go
If you’re in your car and need to take a business call, you can now safely do so in most modern cars with the popularity of handsfree-calling systems. The same technology isn’t available for texting or emailing. Remember, hands on the wheel and eyes on the road — but that doesn’t mean you can’t handle business calls through your handsfree set.
The phone is far from dead.
Contact Omni today to learn how you can leverage a powerful, effective virtual phone system to make your team the best it can be.
Imagine landline numbers with extension lines that work 100% on smartphones and all the features of an advanced phone system like virtual receptionists, call-forwarding, voicemails and more. And form only RM69/month!
To learn more about Omni, click here!
