We’ve finally reached December so we can safely use the C-word again…yes, ‘Christmas’ is nearly here.

Although the festive period is a time for celebration and family gatherings, for small to medium sized businesses Christmas presents lots of tricky challenges. From the office party, which throws up all sorts of alcohol-fuelled disputes, to making sure you have enough staff on duty to serve your customers over the festive period.

Customers expect businesses to have fewer staff working over the holiday period, but will still get frustrated if they call your business and all they hear is a ring tone of a phone that is never answered. Technology can help.

1. Update your messages. If you use recorded messages such as welcome messages or an automated attendant, you should update them with your office opening hours to give your customers the latest information and manage their expectations regarding your service levels. That way they can choose whether to stay on the line or call you back later.
2. Clever routing. As we highlighted in yesterday’s blog, using ring groups and hunt groups mean your calls can reach staff even if they aren’t in the office. So if your team don’t need to be in the office to do their jobs, save them the commute and let them work from home.
3. Voicemail. Voicemail is extremely effective when used well but don’t use it as an excuse to ignore your cuustomers for a week. Make sure your message is clear about when you’ll be picking up messages and intend to respond. Even better, use our voicemail to email service so that you will receive your messages direct to your inbox, regardless of whether you are in the office or not.

And for those of you who aren’t sure how many calls you receive, using a non-geographic number will really open your eyes to your missed opportunities. With 08Direct’s portal you can log on anytime, 24/7 and check your call statistics.

So, don’t leave your customers out in the cold this Christmas, let technology help you serve them effectively and efficiently.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 at 10:56 am and is filed under Tips for business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.