Only One Shot at a First Impression
All it takes is a couple of seconds for a first impression to be made. Think about it, we do it all the time on a personal level, and it is no different when people first encounter a business. Your company only gets one chance to make a good first impression and swing the tide in your favor.
You never get a second chance at a first impression. And according to Association for Psychological Science, it can take as little as a tenth of a second to form an impression. Now that’s when it comes to looking at someone’s face. But businesses don’t usually make their first impression on people face to face. More often than not, an original encounter is over the phone. So that buys companies a little extra time. But not much.
It’s not in person, online chat, or email that is the leading way that people first interact with a business. It is by phone. And that first impression over the phone is crucial. If someone calls your business and is unable to speak with a real person right away, encounters a rude secretary, or isn’t able to get their questions answered, that’s going to leave a poor first impression. How often do you think a bad first impression leads to a new customer? It’s not common.
So who is answering your business phones? An automated system? That’s not quite going to leave a dazzling first impression either, especially if it’s one of those long, convoluted auto attendants. On the other hand, if a friendly, courteous, helpful, live person answers each of your calls, you drastically increase your ability to leave a great first impression on people.
Branding your business phones with an answering service is a tried and true method for introducing your callers to your company in a way that makes a good first impression. A great business answering service always endears callers by facilitating a solid initial experience with your company. That’s just good customer service and a way to give you a really good chance to land new clients.
