We live in a fast-paced world where customers can make a purchase at the click of a button. However, what many businesses fail to realise is that the process has created a generation of impatient customers. Indeed, when everything is designed to go fast and smoothly all the time, your customers are less likely to wait when things don’t run as fast as expected. If you’re too slow to deliver what they need when they need it, your audience will inevitably look for a more timely alternative. Time is of the essence, and here are the top 4 areas where no company can afford to leave customers waiting.
Because your system can’t cope with volume
It takes less than a second for a page to load online. However, when your online platform is saturated by a high volume of demand at the same time, users may have to wait much longer to proceed with their transaction or application. Anybody who has been trying to buy concert tickets for a popular artist is familiar with long load times. While there are situations in which a user is likely to excuse poor performance, as in the case of concert tickets, the typical business can’t afford to skip essential load and performance testing. Slow rendering processes are one of the first obstacles to your digital profits.
Because you don’t have ad-hoc talent in-house
Managing simultaneous projects can be challenging, especially when you’re working with a limited team. When a company grows its audience reach, it often needs to look out for outsourced alternatives. When you are not in a position to hire permanently new staff, you can contract trustworthy freelancers for ad-hoc projects. Indeed, you can scale up and down to match demand with a team of external freelancers. If you’re going to keep costs and management straightforward, working with an umbrella company simplifies the process, both from an employer and a freelancer’s perspectives.
Because your customer call centre is too complicated
“If you need to change your billing account, press 1. If you want to talk to an agent, press 2. For anything else, please press 3.”
We are all familiar with interactive voice response IVR, which enables customer centres to streamline their processes. Customers are directed to the most appropriate interlocutor or solution, depending on their selections. However, to automate workflow effectively, your messaging needs to be clear and actionable. If your customers can’t find the option they need, they are likely to get stuck in a loop. Frustrated customers can give up and look for a quicker alternative on the market.
Because you take too long to answer
Online communication needs to go fast. On social media, users expect to receive an answer within 24 hours. Many customers are unwilling to wait longer than 60 minutes when they contact a business on Twitter or Facebook during the working hours.
While email communication can give companies more time to provide an answer, the majority of users will give up after 48 to 72 hours.
People are impatient. They are unwilling to wait for a business that can’t meet their needs in real time. As a result, it becomes vital for companies to provide timely responses and processes. From slow digital performance to inadequate customer call interactivity, customers value speed as much as quality. You can’t afford to waste their time.