Although it’s tempting to work every hour and sometimes you feel as though you have no choice, it’s just not possible. Still, there are several tips to follow so that you can still impress customers even when you are out of the office.
Keep your promises
Just because you are not in the office, your business should not come to a standstill. Often, one of the biggest mistakes that a company can make is providing false commitments to a customer just to generate the sale of a product or service. Therefore, it is advisable to promise less and deliver more. Making false promises may generate a sale but you are unlikely to retain the custom of said client. If you are away from the office and the expectation of a customer is unfulfilled, the customer is far more likely to understand if you haven’t sold them a dream. At 70%, almost three-quarters of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated – so if they feel they are being treated with honesty, they will be more likely to return.
Provide round-the-clock support
Even when you are not in the office, your chat lines should remain open 24-7 if this is something realistic to you. If the geography of your customer base spans across several time zones, consider contracting people around the globe should your budget allow it. If this is something unrealistic to you, state clearly your chat hours on your business’s website itself. It can even be beneficial to disable the option to chat as this will prevent any confusion between your customers.
You should consider opting for VOIP for Business – the perfect way to impress customers even when they are away from the office. With a Planet Numbers hosted VoIP service you are able to integrate your team’s mobiles into your office system meaning you take office calls on your personal mobile regardless of your location.
Out of Office E-Mails are important
An out of office e-mail will inform your clients that you are not in the office but should also inform them of when they can expect a response by. The automated reply should state how long you are gone, when you will return and who the customer should contact should the enquiry be urgent. By adding an out of office reply, you show to your customers that you are passionate about communication and care about their needs thus helping to retain their custom.
Use chat-bots
Using a chat-bot is a great way to engage with customers when you are not in the office and should impress them. When customers do use a chat agent, they are likely to pick up useful information that they may wish to keep in their records; however, this information is at risk of being lost. To prevent this, offer to email a copy of the transcript for your customer at the conclusion of each chat session. This will certainly increase customer satisfaction.
You should also consider using a survey prior to that live chat session. If customers can provide some preliminary information, it will help to initiate the direction of the chat session. Such information may include the name and a small description of what they are looking for, as the agent can then use this information to answer the customer’s concern in a time efficient manner.
