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Sounding Professional When Customers Call Your Business

Magaly Fuentes 15th May 2019 Learn, Tips

How many times have you dialed the phone number to a business’ customer service department and been greeted by someone who sounded like they were less than enthused to answer your call? It happens often, unfortunately, but businesses do not realize how much this can hurt them. Just because a customer service representative is on the phone all day does not mean that they have to be bored and sound really unhappy. The proper telephone etiquette and some enthusiasm can go a long way in sounding professional when customers call your business – ultimately giving your business a reliable appearance.

Here are a few tips for sounding professional when customers call your business to help you make each phone interaction with your customers an amazing customer service experience:

Using the right phrase will start a conversation off on the right foot. Beginning a conversation with good morning, good afternoon, or a similar greeting and thanking the customer for their call is a great way to start. Stating your name and then asking them how you can help them comes next. Also, it is important to be friendly, upbeat and act like you love your job while providing the best customer service to them. This can all be heard in the tone of a customer service representative’s voice, as well as in the words that are chosen in speaking to customers.

The Power of Positivity

Positivity is also paramount. Ensuring a customer that you will work diligently to resolve whatever issue they have called about and that it will be solved as quickly as possible is important. If you are not able to resolve the issue yourself, ensuring the customer that you will then find someone who is able to is important as well. Saying something like, “I am sorry that you are dealing with this issue, but we will figure this out and resolve this for you as soon as possible” exudes positivity versus sitting on the phone and telling a customer, “I just can’t figure this out” or “I don’t know what the problem is and I am not getting anywhere with this.” Fill your conversation with positive statements, no matter how challenging the issue is to resolve.

Sounding Professional When Customers Call Your Business — Source: Stockphoto.com O#100168582646 ID#100200144052

Pay Attention to the Energy You Give Off

Displaying energy through the sound of your voice also goes a long way. Even if it is super early and you have not had your coffee yet, sound like you are excited to speak with them and be of service to them through the resolution of their issue. Even if they are agitated and possibly raising their voice, it is your job to remain calm, energetic, and positive.

Being patient is another principle part of sounding professional when customers call your business. If you happen to ask the customer a question, be patient and wait for them to give you an answer. Do not talk over a customer. Talking over a customer is not only rude, but it may also cause you to miss out on hearing something very important that they are trying to convey to you. If you talk over a customer, they will need to repeat themselves and this will not only potentially aggravate a customer, but also force things to take a longer period of time to resolve. Remember to wait patiently for their full response.

Dealing with distractions in an appropriate way is another tip to sounding professional when customers call your business. There will always be distractions. It is part of life, no matter if you are working from a call center, your own office, a home office, or some other location. How you deal with those distractions is key. Callers know if you are distracted. From the moment you answer their phone call to the moment the call has ended, your one and only focus should be on the customer you have on the phone, their explanation of their needs, and how you are going to go about resolving any issues and fulfilling their needs. It is important to be attentive and helpful and treat the caller in the same exact way that you would want to be treated.

Just as displaying energy and positivity is important, the tone of your voice in demonstrating energy and positivity is just as important. Customer service agents should examine how they sound when they answer the phone. You should sound happy. Practicing with other coworkers in training can help customer service agents to hear themselves and adjust, if needed, accordingly.

Sounding professional when customers call your business is critical to the vitality and growth of a business. Remember that the person on the other end of the call is a human being and they are calling for help, guidance, answers, and to determine if they will invest in your brand or not. Make sure conversations are kept professional, focused, and upbeat from beginning to end.

10 Things You Should Never Say During a Customer Service Call

Ilsa Morales 15th May 2019 How To's, Tips

Working in customer service can be very rewarding, but it can also be very demanding. Most customer service agents must deal with angry customers daily. Customer service representatives must be able to take these unhappy people and turn them into satisfied and loyal customers. During a customer service call, this is no easy feat when a person enters the conversation angry or upset.

When someone is already upset, it is easy for problems to snowball. One wrong word from a customer service agent could mean the loss of a customer forever. However, customer service call agents cannot just placate customers; they do have problems to solve, and some issues cannot be resolved. Customer service agents should be able to walk a fine line between being stern and being friendly. All words that are exchanged over a customer service line carry weight. If you are a good customer service agent or are training agents for your business, be careful to avoid these common verbal slip-ups that may ruin a customer’s experience.

I can’t help you with that
Sometimes a customer service call agent has to follow a specific protocol, and some things will be outside of their jurisdiction. When you realize that you cannot help the person over the phone, it is best to forward them to a more senior person on the team or management. The answer should never be that they can’t be helped.
That’s just our policy
Telling your customers that you can’t help them is terrible, but not giving them a reason for why you can’t help them is even worse. Saying, “sorry, that’s our policy” is basically you shrugging your shoulders at them and tossing their inquiries away. It isn’t an acceptable answer to an angry or confused customer. This customer is only interested in the problem being resolved. To be that short with a customer gives the impression that your company doesn’t care about its customers.
Unfortunately, no
No is negative; it does not matter how its phrased. Saying, unfortunately, might make you think that you are mitigating the severity of the word, no, but you are not. Do not lead with a negative when speaking to an angry customer. If you are unable to help them in the way that they want you to, use a different phrase such as, “here’s what we can do for you.”
Interrupting a rant
If you are a customer service representative, you have probably had to sit through a rant or two in your time. The critical thing to remember when dealing with an angry customer is to let them get it all out. When they come up for air, that is when you can start talking to them. Never interrupt and never tell a customer they are unreasonable, even if they are.
Source: Stockphoto.com O#100168438628 ID#100200144052

I don’t know
A call center agent should always have an answer to a customer’s issues. Answering with I don’t know is unacceptable and should never be uttered by an agent. Customers call companies and speak to representatives because they want to be helped, and an incompetent agent cannot help them.
Give me a second
A second is a vague measurement of time that should not be given on the phone. If you are looking into something for a customer, it’s better to be honest about how long they will be waiting for you to look things up.
Actually, it’s this
Don’t even bother correcting a customer on a name or pronunciation or anything. It will be taken as condescending, and you will put the customer off or make them feel embarrassed.
I’m sorry
Don’t get me wrong, it is important to apologize to upset customers, but it is best to avoid it if you don’t mean it. It won’t carry the same significance if you actually do not care and are just repeating this overused phrase.
I have to put you on hold
A customer does not want to be placed on hold, and this should be avoided at all costs. However, sometimes it is unavoidable, and in those cases, you must ask the customer if it is okay that you put them on hold and be sure to explain your reasons for doing so.
I don’t see your account information here
Never announce this to the person that you are helping on the other line. More than likely you are missing their name in the database or you input the wrong information. Humans make errors, and you should never assume that the customer called you by mistake. It certainly happens, but until you’ve exhausted every possible way to find their information, they do not need to hear this phrase uttered.

Effective Problem Solving to Build Customer Confidence

Ilsa Morales 14th May 2019 How To's, Tips

Having your own business is a competitive environment. One wrong move and you could be losing customers to your competition. That’s why it is essential that your business focuses on problem-solving to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. But what happens when your company makes a mistake, such as not allowing a customer to return a damaged product or putting your customer on hold for a lengthy amount of time? Your customers may take that very personally.

Building Confidence while Problem Solving for Customer Satisfaction

Your business should be focused on keeping the customers’ confidence because once you lose the confidence of a customer, you can lose everything that you’ve worked for. According to marketwatch.com, Comcast, Wells Fargo, American Airlines are the companies with the worst reputations. How did they get placed on that list? The reasons range from poor customer service, cutting employees’ salaries, cutting jobs, and in the case of BP, it is still reeling from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, which tarnished their reputation beyond repair. If you have found that your business is suffering from poor customer service reviews, public relations, or consistency, you could be in danger of losing your customers. When you lose your customer’s confidence, it can cost you everything. If you think you may be at risk of losing customers, you need to inject trust back into the relationship.

Loyal customers can make or break a business because returning customers account for much of your profits. Additionally, they are great for word-of-mouth marketing. Losing the trust of a customer who pays money for your product or service means that you could permanently damage the reputation of your company. If you’ve made a single mistake or just suffered a miscommunication, there may be a way to win your customers’ trust back. If you don’t want to see the end of your business, here are some key tactics to execute to regain that trust.

1. Effective problem-solving techniques

To begin problem-solving, you must find out where the leak is. Once you have figured out the source of your issues, you can take steps to rectify the problems. Sometimes you will get customers that are open about the issues that they have and will voice their opinions directly to you. However, many customers will simply switch to your competitor without saying a thing. You can find out feedback from these customers by asking customers to fill out surveys, following up with your customers after a purchase, scanning Yelp for reviews, and reaching out to once-regular customers who haven’t purchased in a while.

2. Take responsibility

Once you’ve found out where you’ve gone wrong with a customer, it’s time to own up to your mistake. Never get defensive with a customer or blame the issue on something else. Apologize so you and the customer can move on. Think about it, if you were the unsatisfied customer, would you want to the company you’re giving your money to, to get defensive when you contact them with a problem? Absolutely not. Apologizing is always the best solution.

3. Remedy the situation

While an apology is the first step to begin to remedy a situation, the next task is to rebuild the trust. Be sure that you do this by ensuring the problem never happens again. There might be a flaw in one aspect of your business, and if you do not fix this issue, you may have future problems with other customers. Retain feedback while you source out the issues and make the appropriate changes, that way you know that your business is on the right track.

4. Offer the customer something for their troubles

Problem-solving issues, so it never happens again may help you to retain other customers and help you offer excellent customer service. But if the problem was very bad, then you may have to do more to regain the customer’s confidence. Provide the customer a gift along with your apologies such as a discount or a free sample. This little act of giving shows to your customers that your business will go above and beyond for their customers’ happiness.

Things Customer Service Representatives Should Do On Every Call

Ilsa Morales 7th March 2019 Learn, Tech, Tips

The customer service representative is one of the most critical pieces of your business. They are the face of your company and the people who you trust to speak one-on-one with your customers.

We may sometimes forget how important a customer service representative’s role truly is. They are given the duty to treat customers with respect and find solutions for a myriad of issues that can arise. An angry customer is not an easy challenge to overcome, and your staff needs to be adequately trained in customer service skills and must be talented enough to know how to handle various situations. Read on to learn how each customer service representative should handle every single call.

1. Swift Responses

Timing is a very crucial part of customer service. The response time to every inquiry should be dealt with quickly and accurately. Customers do not want to wait on the phone all day to ask an agent a question. They also do not want to wait for extremely long periods for a delivery or an email response. Your representatives must be trained properly to reduce hold times. Call center agents must understand the importance of timeliness in business.

2. Patience Is A Virtue

Many customers make calls to customer service lines because there is some issue with the product, whether it be damaged, missing pieces, or something else. This can undoubtedly frustrate some people, and therefore some people may come off as combative at first. A customer service representative that is patient, however, can easily diffuse situations with a negative customer. You might like this resource from Barbara Khozam about how to practice patience.

3. Positivity

Agents who can maintain a positive attitude despite dealing with a negative customer will be the most successful. Those with a positive attitude are aware that they do not need to bring their jobs home with them and become more successful overall. While positivity may be a mindset, there is training that you can cover. For example, you can train your agents on positive language to use over the phone and in person, such as “I can see how that would upset you, let’s try to find the solution.” Plus, a happy brain performs better.

4. Communicative

Customer service representatives spend their time interacting with customers. Therefore they need to excel in business communication skills. If they are not professional and conversational, perhaps they’re not right for this particular job. Agents need to be concise, but they also know when to make a little small talk. This adds a human touch, but your agents should not be overly conversational, merely adding a personal comment to the situation your customer is describing is enough. Do not interrupt people and resolve their issue as fast as possible without being robotic.

Things customer service employees should say on every call. — Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100230923000

5. Empathetic

Empathy is an essential trait in any customer service agent. The ability to understand a customer’s feelings and being able to relate yourself to their situation can turn a bad situation around. When customers call customer service, they’re usually unhappy with something, and it is important that your customer service representatives apply empathy to every story they hear.

6. Knowledgeable

Being knowledgeable about the business whom these agents are representing is key in delivering excellent service. Be sure that all of your agents undergo a proper amount of training so that they are equipped with all the tools they need to be successful in this position. Training should happen regularly, not just at the time of hire. Agents should always be knowledgeable about current promotions, new products or services, and on technology updates to the systems they regularly use.

7. Attentive

All agents should possess excellent listening skills. Sometimes customers need to explain their issues in greater detail, and an agent needs to listen during the entire explanation actively. Also, when an agent offers solutions frequently, the customer is not interested in all of them, and an agent must be able to understand their customers’ opinions and come up with more flexible solutions to suit the person.

Along with all of these skills, customer service representatives should always try to go above and beyond for their customers when possible. The best customer service representatives display all of these skills in each and every phone call. But that is not all, they also should be undergoing training, and it is important that your customer service agents stay motivated so that they can excel for your company and turn your customers into loyal brand followers.

If you like this article, you should check out this ultimate list of customer service tips for 2020.

Tone Of Voice Matters on Phone Calls

Ilsa Morales 10th July 2018 Learn, Tips

The tone of voice that you use over the phone may be making or breaking your business.

If you’re in a business that deals with customers over the phone, you are going to need to learn an entirely new set of etiquette rules that don’t apply when you’re face-to-face or communicating through email. From the moment that you answer the phone, personal interaction is changed. There are no body language cues, so the only thing you can lean on when speaking with customers on the phone is how to control your tone of voice and your choice of words.

You’ve had the same voice for your entire life and you’ll most likely keep it, but is it causing you to lose customers? If you have noticed that there are many angry customers contacting your business, it’s probably not you, it’s your tone. We can’t change our voices, however, luckily we can change the tone of our voices to represent exactly what we need to portray at that moment. Do you want to convey joy, friendliness, authority, or confidence? Learning to control your tone of voice is a highly useful verbal communication skill that can take you very far in business. Check out some of these voice changing tips to guide you further along in your business endeavors.

Improve Your Tone

Have you ever sat down and really thought about what your tone sounds like to other people? Do you sound confident to others? Do you sound timid? Perhaps you sound like you’re constantly bored or maybe your tone sounds a bit immature? Your homework is to ask a good friend or coworker what they honestly think of your tone of voice.

What does your tone portray to them? Your tone probably changes based on each person that you’re talking to and that’s normal. You wouldn’t use the same voice on your kids that you use on your boss. That is why it is important to choose someone who you are close to that has heard your different inflections. Ask them for their opinion and for some constructive criticism. It will be immensely helpful on your journey to improving your tone of voice.

Work On Your Energy

Energy can be hard to define because it’s something that you feel. Have you ever heard of someone talk about the “energy of the room?” Energy is the vibe you give off. Do you drain people when you speak to them or do you pump them up? When you practice working on your energy, it helps to think about something that makes you happy.

Having a positive mindset will automatically make your voice sound more enthusiastic and cheerful. Try not to speak too quickly though, remember to breathe and articulate exactly what you need to say.

Practice Inflection

Speaking of articulation, don’t forget about inflection. Make sure to emphasize the correct words in your speech. Incorrect inflection can completely change the meaning of a sentence. It can also make something seem more or less exciting. Be sure to enunciate and pronounce your words correctly, too.

Form Your Sound

Listen back to your outgoing voicemail, or record yourself on a voice recorder. What do you hear when you listen back to your voice? Is it someone who is confident or shy? Are you loud? Too loud? Do you sound overbearing or bored? Repeat and re-record as necessary.

Repeat The Delivery

Practicing what you are going to say before an important phone call, speech, or product demo is necessary for an amazing delivery. Convince people that you are smart and capable by convincing yourself with plenty of practice.

If you think that your voice might need some work, set aside some time to practice and really become aware of the way you speak on a daily basis. If you believe that your voice is a huge hindrance to your rate of success, there are ways to remedy that. Hiring a voice coach or trainer is not uncommon for people in business and may just be the thing you need to send you straight to the top. It’s not difficult to understand: a firm and friendly tone can be the key to happy customers and more sales.

What to do When you Make a Mistake with a Client

Corinna Underwood 8th January 2018 Learn, Tips

If you want your business to succeed, you know how important it is to provide quality service. But bear in mind that no matter how dedicated you are, accidents can still happen. You could be in the middle of working on a client’s project when your computer crashed, your distributor could have misplaced an order, or your billing department may have sent a client the wrong invoice. Now your client feels let down.

So what do you do now? One of the first things that comes to mind is to correct the problem so that you can prevent it from happening again with a different client. However, don’t just leave the disgruntled client hanging.

It pays to have a plan in place for when something like this happens so that if and when things do go wrong, you can fix them as efficiently as possible before you lose a client. What you should not do is to blame someone else to save your reputation, pass on a superficial solution to try and buy yourself extra time, or turn your back on the problem and hope it will go away. Remember, maintaining your integrity is important, and even if you’ve messed up, your client will respect your honesty.

What to do When You Make a Mistake

Accept it: There’s no point denying it, it’s not just going to disappear. You need to know exactly how and why this happened. Find out what your company promised your client, exactly what the client was expecting, and what the client got or did not get. Don’t make assumptions, talk to every member of your team who was involved in this transaction.
Don’t hide: If you find out about a mistake before your client does, be upfront about it and tell them. This can go a long way to restoring their confidence in you and increasing the possibility that they will use your business again.
Communicate: The first thing to do is to apologize. Then let the client know what you are doing to try to fix the problem. Let them know how long it will take you, and be realistic with your timeline. Always keep your word. If the client calls you and for some reason, you cannot answer, always return their calls promptly. If other team members have to answer the client’s calls, advise them how to do so.
Be empathetic: Put yourself in the client’s shoes. Don’t attack them even if they are angry, after all, it was you who made a mistake. If you take a fair approach to the client, you may even still be able to retain their business. You must re-earn their trust by fixing the problem promptly and continuing to deliver a great service.
Explain what went wrong: Don’t skimp on the details; your client deserves to know exactly what went wrong. Reassure your client that the situation is under control and that it will not happen again. Keep a positive tone but be realistic. Ask questions and be prepared to listen to what your client has to say.
Present options: Depending on the type of mistake and why it happened, the solution may not always be cut and dry. For this reason, it’s important to give your client some options. For example, you could offer a refund, an alternative service or a discount to make up for the impact of the error.
Maintain perspective: Sometimes it’s hard to keep a sense of perspective when you feel you’ve let your client, your team or yourself down. However, try to keep your reaction proportional to the mistake you’ve made; don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Unless it’s a life or death situation, most mistakes can be corrected fairly quickly.
Create a protocol: Discuss the problem with your team. Learn from your mistake and create a strategy to deal with common customer complaints. You may have to make some changes to the way your company functions, with the technology you are using, or within the structure of your personnel. Don’t be stubborn, be prepared to make adjustments to improve the quality of your service and reduce the risk of future errors. Make sure everyone is on the same page.

Mistakes to Avoid When Interacting With a Client

Assuming the client is always right: If your client is requesting a product or service that you feel does not meet their needs, tell them. This can prevent things going wrong before you deliver the goods. If you remain silent and just go along with it, you may get blamed later and lose the client and potential referrals.
Not handling criticism: If an unhappy client is offering fair criticism, take it on board and learn from it. This is not the time to get defensive. Research shows that 90 percent of dissatisfied clients switch to a different service provider. Try not to let your client walk away feeling that they should never have hired you in the first place. A disappointed client can cost you more than you may think.
Not maintaining regular contact with your clients: When you have completed a transaction with a client, don’t think your job is done. You need to contact them from time to time, even if it’s just to see how they are doing. Keep them abreast of new products and services which may benefit them.
Avoiding answering questions: If a client asks you a question and you are not sure of the answer, don’t avoid it, and don’t provide an answer that may not be accurate. Admit that you are not sure and explain that you will find out straight away. Don’t leave them hanging, do your research and get back to them as soon as you can. Communication counts for so much!

Mistakes will happen; no business can be run flawlessly. The important thing is to learn from your experiences and ensure that you don’t make the same mistake twice.

8 Customer Service Tips for Companies in the Travel Industry

Samantha Stevens 1st February 2017 Tips

Great customer service tips can be the difference between retaining clients and losing them. It means understanding clients’ needs and fulfilling them in a timely manner, even when you are in different time zones and countries apart.

Travel agencies, tourism businesses, airline and railway companies, and especially hotel chains need a customer service routine. Excellent customer service, especially on an international level, is imperative to your success. Global Call Forwarding personally engages with firms in the tourism and travel industry. This means more than just providing toll free numbers for your company. We want to help you provide personalized and intuitive service to your clients with ease.

We reach into countries as far as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Whether you are based in the United States and want local phone numbers in these areas, or you are an independent travel agent who needs a way to filter phone calls while they are on the road, Global Call Forwarding can assist you in creating memorable customer service.

It is time to foster loyalty and stand out from your competitors through engaging with clients in a convenient manner. For this reason we have provided 8 customer service tips for the tourism industry:

1. Communication. Always.

This seems like a given, but you would be surprised how many companies forget this simple concept. Inconveniences will happen and delays are inevitable. However, it just makes sense to tell your clients what is happening with their travel plans. Do not leave them in the dark during a delay. Tell them in person, on the phone, through speakers, with an email, over social media – whichever medium makes the most sense so that you are always communicating with them.

2. Don’t Allow For Unnecessary Disruptions or Waiting Time

Scheduling and reservation issues, lost baggage, gate changes, and ticket purchases can already make a customer feel on edge. Imagine these types of conversations in an unknown or unfamiliar country, such as Thailand or Singapore, and how time zone differences can make matters even more complex.

When an individual calls your customer service representatives, try as much as possible not to place them on hold. Instead, international call forwarding and the integration of local phone numbers into your systems gives you the ability to lessen their wait time so they can get back on the road.

3. Keep Your Internal Teams Informed and Organized

Consider that you run an airline based in the United States that books clients with flights into the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Your customer service agents and hospitality connections are based in Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand. With all of these countries working together inside of one company, internal communications can easily go off the rails. You do not want to accidentally give conflicting information about a client’s travel itineraries.

Internal teams must stay up to date on the latest travel news and notices. Bosses and managers must stay connected as well, even in the busiest airports. Make sure that everyone is able to stay connected with each other.

4. Set up Different Lines for Different Needs

How does your current customer service team navigate hospitality services, purchasing airline tickets, making reservations, confirming itineraries, and contacting tour and cruise packages with new destinations? These are just a few but common essentials tourism faces on an hourly basis. However, if one client calls in asking about their travel reservations and is met with a confusing phone system, they are less likely to return to you for their future needs.

Instead, international call forwarding and other helpful phone features allows you to direct people to different lines. If possible, set up different lines for sales, lead generation, telemarketing, welcoming phone calls, inquiries and billing issues, as well as customer service. This is better for customer retention and loyalty.

5. Make Certain Calls a Priority

Every company receives spam numbers, including companies based in the UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, you should not let this get in the way of excellent customer service. Utilizing black and white lists means that you can filter out unwelcome calls and give preference to callers who are considered top priority. This is especially useful in the hospitality industry, where it is imperative to reach the right people at the right time.

6. It’s Okay to be Automated

Many will suggest that automated systems are impersonal, and depending on how you use this type of system, they can be. However, having a reliable automated system can also be a functional customer service tool for your company.

Imagine calling a company over and over only to have a call dropped, or only to find that you keep dialing in the wrong line. Having an international call forwarding system done the right way will prevent this issue in the future. An automated system may even help them address the right information much faster than with a person.

When you address their needs right away, your team can move on with their day – and so can your caller. This simplifies the transition between calls as well.

7. Stay Friendly

Unfortunately, hospitality representatives can bring out the worst in people. Frustrated clients usually result in tension on both sides. However, even if a client has a terrible travel experience, they should remember your excellent customer service. So, be sure to alleviate the key frustrations of your clients and stay friendly with them.

8. Be Local

Finally, customers appreciate seeing companies as local. Customers are more likely to call your company if they do not have to pay a fee to do so. This immediately makes you more accessible than your competitors. So, using local phone numbers and tll free numbers based in their city is a great way for them to feel like they are staying with a business that cares.

Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality

Get ready for takeoff! Whether you are an individual agent who needs help filtering incoming calls or you are an executive at an internationally recognized airline, Global Call Forwarding makes the running of your business much smoother.

Global Call Forwarding can be extremely beneficial to the customer service of your company, whether you have roots in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, or the UAE.

Tips to Improve Online Customer Service

Global Call Forwarding 8th September 2016 Learn, Tips

When customers are in the process of making purchases or obtaining any services, the very first thing they do is run a search on the World Wide Web. The internet has evolved into an arena that provides infinite information on anything and everything.

What does this mean for you?

Some brick and mortar organizations view this as a threat. Others, an exciting and cheap opportunity to boost sales and increase market share. Be the proactive businessperson and step out into the virtual world to bring forth your organization in the global arena. Here are some tips:

A User Friendly Website

The debate of the design vs. content has been raging for some time. As experts, Global Call Forwarding believes that there is no hard and fast rule that prefers one over the other. It simply cannot happen. A successful website is that which incorporates all the best features, including a professionally designed layout, well developed and credible content, and an intuitive, interactive interface. Make it simple. Remember, less is more. It takes an individual 5 seconds to decide if he likes the website or not.

Start Blogging! And Make It Good!

So, we’re back to content. What is your business about? One of the most effective ways to drive traffic toward your website is by maintaining high quality blogs. This also establishes credibility with customers and website viewers.

Social Media Marketing

This is where the world is at. Some of the world’s top brands heavily invest time and importance on creating and maintaining their social media image. This is where they promote discounts, special offers, contests, etc. It is basically a way to stay connected with followers and build a larger audience of customers and fans.

Create A Forum Where Customers Can Easily Access You

The difference between a good and great company often lies in their customer service support. This is why companies all around the world focus more on “customer retention” than gaining new customers. Creating and maintaining forums allows your customers to interact with you on an avenue that you can control.