As a hosted VoIP provider, a business will put in a significant amount of work trying to gain new customers. Many avenues will usually be explored to deliver fresh leads in the hope they will eventually convert into customers. But with many reports of customers feeling dissatisfied with their provider, what pitfalls should a business look out for when trying to sell VoIP?
Getting the customer on board is the first step, however, the process can take so much time that providers forget how much effort they put in at the beginning, leading to both new and existing customers being overlooked.
Poor Customer Service
One of the main reasons for complaint is poor customer service. A good support centre is crucial, given that the majority of customers will be unable to troubleshoot problems with their service themselves.
Some of the more common complaints around customer service are to do with communication, mainly because many support centres are located off-shore. Here at IDT we pride ourselves on our customer service, take a look at our review here
Another objection is being put on hold for long periods. This barrier to good customer support is often further amplified when the support team are unable to resolve the issue due to inadequate knowledge. This can also lead to problems taking too long to sort out. Similarly, email or ticket systems that respond slowly can leave customers frustrated and unhappy. At worst, the customer may get no response at all.
Technology is often grounds for criticism too, particularly if Internet connections are not good enough or there is not enough bandwidth to support VoIP. Of course, this is by no means down to the provider but as it impacts on voice quality, the complaint will invariably be directed toward the provider.
Not offering flexibility could also result in the loss of customers if the provider is not able to add phones to their system when the business grows.
A drop in the standard of service will impact on the customer and this may well manifest as loss of value or worth, resulting in them looking elsewhere for a provider. Common complaints around service can be anything from lack of customer support calls, to quality issues around hardware, such as phones or adaptors. For example, a failure to use kit from reputable manufacturers could cause problems if, say, a lesser quality phone breaks and is unable to be replaced.
International VoIP wholesale provider: Review and Evaluate
In addition, any failure to keep features up-to-date, together with constant outage problems causing the service to become unavailable, is often reported by some providers’ customers.
Feature packages can generally be very similar among providers but this is not to say the pricing structure is. Depending on whether premium features are included, there can be broad differences in cost. Reviewing and adjusting prices on a regular basis will help a provider to stay competitive and thus retain valuable customers.
In today’s fast paced market, expecting potential customers to sign up for a twelve-month contract or longer, may be unrealistic unless there are significant financial advantages. Over the course of a year, there may be more affordable services or improved features on offer somewhere else that they will not want to miss out on.
But, if price increases follow the end of a one-off deal which initially enticed the customer to sign up, then that customer may start to look elsewhere for more attractive terms.
Offering great features is essential, but not if they come at a price. First and foremost, customers will always expect reliability and a high-quality platform.
If a less costly wholesale carrier is brought on board or if inferior routes are chosen in order to save money, this can cause problems later on. Calls that are routed across the public internet can be subject to network congestion, causing delays and issues with quality.
Brand reputation is essential in today’s market and if it is not reliable and consistent, this can lead to lost business. Simply checking out review sites regularly and encouraging customers to give feedback and testimonials for the services provided, will ensure that a given brand’s reputation stays untarnished.
Failing to keep up with new trends in the industry could damage reputation. The best providers follow the latest developments in cloud-based and mobile technologies so that their customers know they are getting the best cutting-edge service on offer.
In conclusion, sales messages that concentrate on the basic aspects of VoIP, such as an easy to use system that will help make a business run more efficiently and save money at the same time, will attract new customers.
Delivering the quality of service that has been promised and continuing to evaluate and improve on that service will ensure that the provider gains new customers and retains existing ones.
