Imagine this scenario: you answer a call from an unsatisfied customer who appears determined to vent their frustration on you. While you don't have an instant solution, you recognize the importance of their business to your company and can't afford to worsen the situation.
It's a moment for diplomacy, so you adopt a composed and comforting tone, avoiding any hint of condescension. You calmly explain that there's been an error and assure them that you'll work towards fixing it. Gradually, the irate customer starts to calm down, and a more constructive conversation ensues as both sides collaborate to find a mutually agreeable solution.
In this case, it wasn't the specific words used but the tone of voice that diffused the volatile situation.
A well-known study conducted by Dr. Albert Mehrabian in 1967 revealed that our tone of voice holds greater importance than the words we speak in effective communication. The study suggested that body language conveys 55% of meaning in conversations, while voice tone accounts for 38%. Surprisingly, only 7% of successful communication relies on the words chosen.
So, if you consider this study in the realm of business communication, how you communicate matters more than what you communicate. But as a business owner, how can this knowledge transform your interactions with customers?
Telephone Communication Enhances Customer Satisfaction
Research indicates that customers still strongly prefer telephone communication when engaging with a business.
An American Express survey found that 46% of customers prefer discussing complex issues over the phone. Given the significance of tone in effective communication, a phone call proves to be the ideal medium for conveying intricate information. Call operators can infuse subtle nuances into their tone that written messages lack. This facilitates smoother conversations.
From a business standpoint, telephone calls offer the advantage of establishing a deeper connection with customers, potentially boosting brand loyalty and long-term business relationships. Your voice acts as a safety net, ensuring that critical nuances are not lost in translation. By making telephone communication a central part of your customer interactions, you can provide a level of intimacy, immediacy, and accessibility that may set you apart from competitors.
Phone vs. Email
When deciding whether to purchase a service or product, the Prospect Theory often influences consumers. This theory explores how people make purchase decisions, emphasizing the role of perceived gains over perceived losses.
The lottery serves as a prime example of the Prospect Theory at work, as the perceived gains of winning far outweigh the actual cost of the ticket.
Knowing that a dedicated customer phone line is available could tip the balance in favor of your business when customers make decisions. Telephone communication offers an added level of immediacy that written communication cannot match, and your customers are aware of it.
A Google study revealed that 47% of mobile users would choose another brand if they couldn't find the company's phone number advertised, while 88% of customers still prefer to pick up the phone. This preference extends even to millennials, as there are still numerous situations where an email falls short.
Apart from boosting customer satisfaction, telephone conversations are also more efficient than email. Email exchanges often lead to delays, conflicts, and misunderstandings that could have been easily avoided through a simple phone call. Customer representatives are increasingly pressured to improve email response times, which can result in rushed responses and dissatisfied customers.
Boosting Customer Satisfaction with Sinch
Sinch offers businesses in Indian with outbound dialing, inbounding dialing, voice OTP, and missed call services. The voice platform uses SaaS technology and cutting-edge tools to help businesses boost productivity and enhance personalized customer experience. With 99.999% infrastructure uptime and ability to scale as business grows are other advantages of Sinch’s voice messaging services.
