Paul DelFino
All who have attended the HMI Discovery and Learning Seminar know that HMI works hard to create processes and systems eliminate every potential barrier that your prospects can create not to buy your service. The best example is the Estimate Rocket and the ability to:
- Give the majority of your estimates when residential customers are not home
- Provide estimates via email where prospect merely click YES to authorize the work
- Creating a TUNNEL where you control the customer experience
But sometimes the first hurdle is the initial phone call. Are you available 24/7? Are you ready to take a call when your prospect is ready to call you? How many times have you lost a sale because you were not available when your prospect wanted to connect? Do you make it EASY or do more than 25% of your initial contacts take more than 2 attempts to connect with a telephone tag game frustrating all?
BAKE TO BASICS – Most industries solve this problem by utilizing telephone answering call center services. One of the challenges for mudjackers and polyurethane concrete lifters has been educating others to talk the talk about their unique service when someone else answers the phone. HMI has been working to solve this problem for you.
INTRODUCING ICG – Information Communications Group in Leawood, Kansas is a unique call center operation. Personnel there have extensive experience accepting calls for mudjacking and concrete lifting clients. Their services include can include basic telephone answering and even scheduling of estimates. Personnel can follow your individualized script and are most importantly are prepared to offer basic information to your prospects about concrete lifting services. They can even provide input to your Estimate Rocket system.
WE HAVE ALL HAD BAD EXPERIENCES – As consumers we have all had bad experiences with call centers. It is uncomfortable calling into a company and quickly identifying that the person answering the phone: does not work for the company, does not know a thing about the product or service and just makes things tougher by taking a bad message where you have no confidence you will even get a return call. We all have also had experiences where we called into a company and were handled so professional that we ended the call faster than ever imagined and thought to ourselves – WOW – that was easy and that company “has its act together!” It all depends on:
- The training
- The formalization of the process and discipline
- The quality of the personnel
With professional services you can: feel local, appear global with low cost toll free numbers but most importantly be prepared to accept a call ANYTIME A PROSPECT IS READY TO CALL YOU with 100% confidence it will be picked up by the third ring by someone who knows you, your service and your expectation. (even if after hours only)
TAKE-AWAYS
- Your efficiency and profitability is dependent on your ability to convert every attempted call into revenue.
- Not every prospect is available when you are and you should be constantly working to find ways to make it easier for prospect to buy from you.
- You may want to consider exploring qualified call center services by calling HMI and getting introduced to ICG.
Paul DelFino is a principal of the consulting firm Opportunity Inc. For nearly two decades he has assisted entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, responding to economic downturns and merger and acquisition activity. He has consulted with HMI and RaiseRite for over a decade. His publications include “Avoiding Skewed Entrepreneurial Strategies” available from all on line booksellers.
