Sales Follow-Through: Can Web Services Businesses Use Hosted PBX and Smart Phone Tools?
Customer Service
The same kinds of firms that rely on dark horse celebrity endorsements to draw in customers buying hosted Web domains can also rely on high-tech customer intelligence and inbound call systems to get to know each existing customer’s needs and convert more sales over time.
The advertising initiatives of GoDaddy, one of the most prominent providers of hosted domains for WordPress and other types of DIY sites, is nothing if not controversial. Along with snagging NASCAR’s Danica Patrick in a spokesperson type role, the company’s been famously experimenting with pushing the envelope on racy ads, most prominently, during the big Super Bowl event which is such a watershed moment for advertising. GoDaddy’s approach is an instructive example of classic advertising, albeit by unconventional means, where the effort is directed toward getting more eyes and ears to draw incoming traffic, but many of these same companies are also looking at how to retain customers, and that’s where secure vendor services, from IVR to CRM and other call center products and services, can have a big impact.
Phone and CRM Services for ISPs and Hosted Site Providers
In talking about how these third party vendor resources can help a web service business, there’s a good amount of irony around the idea that while these companies may have a handle on how to operate DNS listings and otherwise navigate IP protocol to offer customers “space on the web,” they may not have a lot of in-house ability to generate similar kinds of systems that will show them the results of their efforts. Experts refer to these by many names, including business intelligence, customer intelligence, customer relationship management, knowledge management, or a battery of terms related to data capture, warehousing and use in planning. The bottom line, though, is that third party vendors are offering these businesses effective call center tools to guide potential customers in through an initial sales process, to keep them interested, and to keep them coming back to that same business for additional web service needs.
Features of Inbound Call Center Systems
Here are some of the most useful features that vendor technologies can offer Web service companies:
Virtual Rolodex – staffers build sophisticated contact lists, not only for customers, but for others throughout the “food chain” of the business structure, in order to replace the old ways of keeping simple phone numbers in a mobile device or on paper
Call Popups – on an inbound call, a lot of relevant information pops up, including the customer’s purchasing history, and their projected needs. For a hosted website business, this can include any information on domain renewals, advanced domain packages, pricing history, and other similar items, as well as identifying information that can help staffers to convert colors to customers
Automated call handling – IVR and other services route calls correctly in order to help with the dreaded “customer queue” that can make inbound call systems extremely inefficient
These are just some of the ways that vendor services like Ringio’s virtual Private Branch Exchange or PBX systems can help these sorts of businesses to innovate for more powerful business models and more effectively match the needs of each individual small business or personal website customer. Businesses can choose mobile or desktop models, upgrade VoIP phones or other hardware, or integrate a “softphone” system on available devices. Ringio works with any size and type of business for an effective and customized solution.
Justin Stoltzfus is a freelance writer covering technology and business solutions at Techopedia and Business Finance Store, as well as Ringio’s blog, focusing on emerging trends in IT services.
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