The Real Cost Of Missed Calls

Missed telephone calls could mean missed business. You’ll never know if that missed call was a great business opportunity, an enquiry from a client or maybe a follow-up call after a sales presentation.

Why take the risk? It’s easy to avoid this costly scenario. Answerphones are not the answer. Recent statistics showing that nearly 70% of callers fail to leave voicemail messages.

In a survey of 300 micro businesses (0-9 employees), and an examination of its own call data from 10,000 businesses, telephone answering service, Moneypenny, found that a third of the businesses surveyed (33%) failed to answer their incoming calls.

So… 33% of businesses don’t pick up calls, and 70% callers don’t leave voice messages. The value of missed opportunities is huge. In fact, small and medium-sized businesses in the UK lose £90m in business each year due to missed calls. That’s frightening.

“Quite simply, a customer getting through to a voicemail instead of a person is like tearing up money. It’s akin to walking into a shop with no one at the till. Buyers simply ring the next supplier on the list,” said Ed Reeves, Director and Co-founder of Moneypenny.

“Pretty much every prospective customer hangs up at an answer message, yet so many businesses – especially those run from mobiles – have no solution in place. UK SMEs are losing a fortune in business opportunities, and our dependency on operating our business from our mobiles is making things worse.”

He continues: “Customers use phone enquiries differently nowadays; a phone call is no longer a research tool – that’s handled by social media, websites or email – instead it’s the final reassurance prior to a purchase. This results in fewer, yet higher, value phone calls coming from only the most serious of buyers. Not answering those calls guarantees losing the business.

“We all hate leaving voicemail messages as much as we dislike listening to them. But if a mobile is answered by a real person, you’ve immediately got a business connection. It really is that simple. Larger companies have long ago realised the value of this personal touch, but it seems their smaller peers are still lagging behind and missing even the basics of a professional business front.”

What’s the answer?

Agile call handling gives you all the flexibility and convenience your business needs. As a client of Eastway Enterprise Centre, you can route your calls to us so they are answered by a real person (not a voicemail) with a bespoke greeting for your business. Our team will either forward the call according to your instructions, or will take a message for you. You can get on with running your business… or enjoying your time off. Simple!

To find out more, contact us or use our live chat, (look out for the green box to the side of your screen).