Most people who buy goods and services from a business don’t need to contact those firms. They’re generally happy with the service they’ve received and know how to use what they’ve bought.

However, there will be times when some customers need pre or post-sales help, such as learning more about products and services on offer or dealing with order issues.

Sadly, customer service isn’t always a priority with many businesses, so customers are rightly hesitant about contacting firms. If you don’t want your brand to be known as one that doesn’t care about its customers, make sure you avoid making these top five mistakes:

1. Too Many Phone Numbers

Wouldn’t it be great if customers only need to remember or save a single phone number for a company? The sad truth is that some businesses feel it necessary to have several or even dozens of phone numbers – even if they only have a few people working for them!

Avoid that mistake by having just one contact telephone number for your customers to use. You could issue employees with extension numbers and add an option on your phone menu system for customers to enter those if required.

2. Confusing Phone Menu Options

One bugbear that people often have is calling a business and having their call answered by an automated attendant – the infamous “phone menu”!

Such call-handling features work well when there are just a few simple menu options, but it can be frustrating for customers if they must navigate through several levels of choices.

It’s even worse if the caller selects the wrong option and they have no choice but to hang up and try again, selecting the correct choice on the second attempt. 

If you use such a system for your contact numbers, ensure that there are only a few simple options for people to select.

3. No Online Chat Facility

Sometimes, people find it more convenient to communicate with businesses electronically. Emails can sometimes have issues, so many customers prefer to use website chat software and “speak” with someone in real time over the Internet.

If you don’t have an online chat facility on your website, consider getting one installed. You’ll find that it boosts your customer service levels, retention rates and helps increase sales.

4. Ghosting

Don’t you hate it when you contact a company, either electronically or by other means, and they just “ghost” you instead of dealing with your enquiries?

The ugly truth is many businesses do that every day – and what might shock them is how they aren’t even aware that they’re doing it!

Ensure that you have clearly defined communication paths for customers – and that your staff take ownership of any enquiries or complaints.

5. Language Barriers

The fifth and final thing customers hate about contacting businesses, especially global ones, is overcoming language barriers. If you’re based in the same country as your customers, it makes sense for you to speak the same language as them.

Language barriers can sometimes also happen when companies outsource their call center staff to other countries, or perhaps to ones that are unfamiliar with national or regional customs and ways of dealing with things.