What if the very moment a potential customer conjured up a need, you could magically appear to say, “I can do that for you!” No more spending big bucks on glossy ads just to garner a sale or two. Instead, any time a customer wants what you’ve got, you’re instantaneously there to offer it. Talk about service!
The good news for business owners is you’re halfway there. Smartphone users can find and connect with companies that meet their needs in mere seconds by searching, clicking, and calling, and they’re doing it a heck of a lot. Click-to-call is booming, and the already staggering number of calls to businesses from mobile devices is expected to skyrocket in coming years: a predicted 162 billion calls will be made to businesses from smartphones in 2019.
Calls initiated by smartphone users are especially valuable to growing companies, because they allow for connection other channels can’t provide. Communicating with potential customers via social media, email marketing, and advertisements can be costly and time consuming, and doesn’t always yield great results. Talking with a prospect, however, is not only an opportunity to clearly communicate the value of your service—it’s a chance to demonstrate your dedication to customer experience, and build rapport and trust.
What’s more, gaining clients from smartphone-generated calls has the potential to be very inexpensive. If a prospect finds your business using a service like Google Maps, for instance, they may call without ever seeing your website or skimming through that ad you spent so much time and money to design.
What do you need to make the most of click-to-call’s growing popularity?
Essentially, a telephone number that’s easy to find, click, and call from a mobile device, and a team to deliver consistent customer service over the phone. There are lots of ways to make your telephone number stand out to mobile customers:
- Start by making your number clickable and prominent on your website.
- Consider adding a “Click to Call” button on your homepage.
- Limit the need for scrolling by making sure your number appears near the top of your homepage.
- Aim to include your phone number in a similar location on the key pages of your site.
- Ensure your Google business information is up-to-date and a phone number is visible. For more information on claiming your business and managing your listing, check out Google’s support page.
The minute a prospect thinks, “Maybe I’ll give this a try,” you want them to be able to reach you with a click.
Of course, a clickable number on its own won’t do the trick. Without a friendly, helpful person to answer, smartphone calls could harm your business. Mobile users value excellent service, and don’t want to waste time waiting around for it. One in five calls from mobile phones are abandoned—likely due to common offenders like long hold times or reaching an automated system instead of a live person—and callers are more likely to hang up on a local business than a call center. Furthermore, dissatisfied callers aren’t afraid to share their feedback. Not only did 74% of those recently polled by Invoca say they are likely to choose another business after a negative phone experience, 70% said they are likely to complain to friends or family, 30% are likely to leave a bad review, and 24% are likely to complain on social media.
In order to reap the substantial rewards click-to-call has to offer, small businesses need the customer experience infrastructure to support it. Before overhauling your website or your marketing plan to better feature click-to-call, take a look at your phone service strategy, and consider your ability to live up to the expectations of mobile callers.
