{"id":3068,"date":"2018-08-18T12:58:01","date_gmt":"2018-08-18T16:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenixmedia.com\/?p=3068"},"modified":"2018-08-18T12:58:01","modified_gmt":"2018-08-18T16:58:01","slug":"ten-reasons-we-dont-offer-instant-phone-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.greenixmedia.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/18\/ten-reasons-we-dont-offer-instant-phone-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Reasons We Don\u2019t Offer Instant Phone Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve always supported our clients most effectively via email. As a result, we\u2019ve decided to embrace our status as an online digital company and ask all clients to contact us via email in the first instance.<\/p>\n

Here are 10\u00a0reasons\u00a0why we can provide a better service without instant phone support:<\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 Quicker responses to ALL contact<\/h2>\n

Too many communication channels can cause customer service to suffer.<\/p>\n

Without careful thought, companies can end up accepting queries through multiple email inboxes, landline calls, mobile calls,\u00a0landline voicemail, mobile voicemail, SMS text messages, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, etc. etc.<\/p>\n

This makes it hard to prioritize. It either becomes a full-time job to stay on top of so many channels. Or some of them get forgotten and customers who contact you via Facebook (for example) wait\u00a0longer than those who email directly.\u00a0This isn\u2019t fair to our customers, who need to know what to expect.<\/p>\n

Phone is a major culprit because most companies only check their voicemail once or twice a day. We\u2019ve always been guilty of this too. If you email us, you\u2019re likely to get a response within minutes. If you miss us and leave a voicemail, it will take\u00a0longer- and I\u2019m not comfortable with that.<\/p>\n

Email is also great for responding to queries outside of working hours. As a modern web company, we work a lot but are not tied to set working hours. You\u2019re just as likely to get an email from us at 7:00 a.m. as you are between 9-5. This\u00a0causes problems with instant phone support, but is a real benefit for\u00a0email.<\/p>\n

#2 \u2013 Better quality work<\/h2>\n

Everyone knows that constant interruptions have a huge impact on productivity and quality of work. If we\u2019re working hard to design a fantastic website for a client, we need to be able to focus and get \u2018in the zone\u2019.<\/p>\n

By checking for new\u00a0emails in between tasks, we can\u00a0respond quickly without\u00a0affecting our work. Unplanned phone calls demand\u00a0instant attention and have a much bigger impact.<\/p>\n

#3 \u2013 More informed responses<\/h2>\n

Lots of people like to pick up the phone with a question, as they know they can get an instant response. What\u00a0they don\u2019t realize that the quality of response will be worse.<\/p>\n

With an email request, we\u00a0can spend the appropriate amount of time looking into the issue, doing any research and formulating a professional response. With a phone call, we\u2019re on the spot. We will either\u00a0either try to answer straight away \u2013 even though we\u00a0haven\u2019t had a chance to look into it properly\u00a0yet. Or we\u00a0will promise to get back to you\u00a0later\u00a0\u2013 which doesn\u2019t give you\u00a0any useful information.<\/p>\n

If you send us the same question via email, the response is likely to be higher quality \u2013 and almost as quick.<\/p>\n

#4 \u2013 We\u2019re a distributed team<\/h2>\n

As a distributed team, GreenixMedia is run by our team, with support from our wider network of WordPress and SEO experts on specific projects. This makes phone support more complex as we don\u2019t have a single office that people can phone.<\/p>\n

With a distributed team, support needs to be provided in a more modern way than traditional companies who have an office, receptionist etc. Email lets us direct inquiries to the appropriate person without having to make you wait.<\/p>\n

#5 \u2013 Design is a visual process<\/h2>\n

Web design is a visual process. Email helps with this as we can share screenshots, screencasts, links etc. to make sure we\u2019re talking about the same thing.<\/p>\n

#6 \u2013 New clients can make an informed decision<\/h2>\n

As I said, our email support has been superior to our phone support for a long time. But the fact that we advertised a phone number on our website implied that both are equal.\u00a0By making things clearer from the outset, new clients can make an informed decision on whether to work with us.<\/p>\n

I respect the fact\u00a0that everyone has different communication styles. Some people love email whereas others hate it and prefer to talk.<\/p>\n

If you\u00a0want quick and frequent email support, plus pre-arranged phone calls for more in-depth discussions, then we\u2019re the right company for you.<\/p>\n

If you\u00a0want to be able to pick up the phone for every small query then we may not be a good fit.<\/p>\n

#7 \u2013 Better records and accountability<\/h2>\n

Email communication gives us a clear written record of all our contact with clients. We can easily refer back to what was agreed and make sure nothing is overlooked.\u00a0It also helps us to share information between team members.<\/p>\n

Everything is already in writing and we don\u2019t need to spend time writing up each email. Phone calls often lead to\u00a0written notes that need integrating into a CRM or other database, which is less efficient.<\/p>\n

#8 \u2013 No more sales calls!<\/h2>\n

Like all companies, we receive tons of cold calls a day.<\/p>\n