9 Ways Small Businesses Can Better Manage High Call Volumes

When starting and running a small business, you quickly learn that everything is a juggling act. You’re constantly trying to manage your time, your resources, and most importantly, your customers. A common issue that small businesses struggle with is high call volumes.

Calls come in at all hours of the day and night, and it can be difficult to keep up with customer service demands. If you’re struggling to keep up with the high volume of calls your small business is receiving, Go Answer can help you manage them so you can focus on running your business.

1. Employ a Call Center

If your small business is experiencing high call volumes, consider using a call center. A call center helps manage the influx of calls and takes some of the pressure off your employees. It can also handle lead qualification, appointment setting, and various other tasks that help your business run more smoothly.

When selecting a call center, be sure to research and find one that fits your needs. There are a variety of call centers to choose from, so be sure to find one that’s right for your business.

2. Hire More Customer Service Representatives

One way to manage high call volumes is to hire more customer service representatives. When it comes to customer service, it’s important to have enough people on staff to handle any inquiries you receive. An insufficient number of customer service representatives can lead to long wait times, which frustrates customers and could result in lost business.

In addition, hiring more customer service representatives supports your existing staff, allowing them to focus on other projects. 

3. Use an Auto-Attendant

One way to manage high call volumes is to use an auto-attendant. An auto-attendant allows your customers to choose the best option for them, whether that’s reaching a sales representative, getting product information, or making a purchase.

Your auto-attendant can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. You can choose to have it route calls to specific extensions or departments or have customers leave a message.

An auto-attendant gives your staff the freedom to concentrate on other tasks and helps you provide better customer service by ensuring that each customer has the best possible experience when contacting your business.

4. Provide Self-Service Options

By providing self-service options, small businesses can help reduce the number of customer service inquiries that are addressed by live representatives. Some of the most common self-service options include online customer support forums, knowledge bases, and tutorials. You can also provide customers with the ability to search through frequently asked questions (FAQs) or submit a support ticket.

5. Enable Call Queuing

Another way that small businesses can manage high call volumes is by establishing a call queuing system. This generates a queue for customers waiting to speak with a representative, which reduces frustration and promotes shorter wait times.

Call queuing also helps keep the lines open for customers who are already in the middle of a conversation. There are several different call queuing systems available, so be sure to pick the one that best suits your needs.

6. Set Up Call Forwarding

Another way to manage high call volumes is through call forwarding, which allows customers to reach you even when you’re unavailable. You can choose to forward all calls to another number, forward calls only when you’re unavailable, or forward calls only during certain hours of the day. Your phone service provider should be able to answer any questions and walk you through the setup process.

7. Introduce Dialing Rules

If you’re experiencing high call volumes, it might be time to introduce dialing rules. Dialing rules help organize your calls and give everyone a chance to be heard. There are several different approaches to setting up dialing rules.

Call queuing is one, but another popular method is the “round-robin.” Round robin allows customers to speak to a different representative each time they call. This ensures all customers get the chance to speak to someone and prevents representatives from becoming overwhelmed.

8. Establish a Voicemail System

Voicemail is a powerful tool that can help reduce your employees’ workloads during high call volume times. When voicemail is enabled, your employees are free to handle other tasks and ensure that all customer issues are addressed.

You can also use voicemail to gather information from customers. For instance, they can leave questions or comments about their customer service experience in a voicemail. This is a great way to get more detailed feedback than you would from an email or social media message.

You can set up voicemail through your account settings if you have a VoIP system, or if you’re using a traditional phone system, you can call your carrier to discuss potential voicemail services.

9. Utilize a Paging System

If you’re experiencing high call volumes, one way to manage them is with a paging system. A paging system allows employees to receive pages instead of responding directly to phone calls. Paging systems can be used in a variety of ways—from a simple bell to a more high-tech system that sends an SMS or email notification to the employee’s phone or device.

No matter which one you choose, paging systems are beneficial to customers and an effective method of communication for your employees.  

Don’t Wait Any Longer; Contact Us Now!

High call volumes can be difficult for small businesses to manage on their own. If you’re looking for help with your calls, check out Go Answer. We’ll lessen your stress by handling your calls for you. Contact us today for a free quote.