Is your telephone manner losing you business?

TWO thirds of North West people will never buy from a company again if their first phone call is not handled satisfactorily, research has revealed.
But despite their intolerance towards poor call handling, people in the North West are actually the most tolerant in Britain, closely followed closely by Londoners – 67 per cent.
A study of 1,000 consumers discovered people from Wales and the South West are Britain’s least tolerant. In each case
more than three-quarters are unwilling to provide repeat business to companies who do not answer their first call satisfactorily, putting them ahead of the Midlands (77 per cent) and East Anglia (76 per cent).
“The research results provide a clear message to North West companies – a failure to handle all customer calls to a high standard will result in lost business,” said Mark Williamson, sales director of the PH Media Group, who carried out the survey.
“Clearly first impressions count, so businesses cannot afford to let standards drop for a single call or else they risk creating lasting negative perceptions that will impact upon profitability.
“Best practice in call handling must apply to all facets of the experience if it is to be effective. This means scrutinising the way calls are answered, the phone manner of customer service advisors and the sounds heard while on hold, including music and voice.”
The research also discovered Britain’s older generations are particularly intolerant.
Nine in ten 55 to 64-year-olds claim they would not do business with a company again if their first phone call was handled badly, while the figure was 75 per cent among 35 to 54-year-olds.