7 reasons why phone call numbers are still a necessity for your business

Think that in those digital times, phone calls should belong obsolete? Here are seven reasons why a phone call number is a must for your business.

Phone call support has never been as widespread or as popular as now. What are the main advantages of phone calls and why you shouldn’t neglect phones in favor of emails or chatbots, for example? 

In the last decade, our world was completely transformed by the digital revolution. Shopping online is booming. Businesses can find customers not online in their city but even on other continents. Customers also have far more options now when it comes to finding and contacting businesses. Besides good old phone call numbers, they also have social media, live chats, emails, or community boards.

We have no problem with calling a company on social media or using live chats. But let’s look at our parents now. For them, using a live chat or social media is just too complicated to handle. They could contact a company by email, but how long will it take for the company to answer then?

That’s why whenever they have a problem, they dial up a given company number on the phone. Sometimes it will take a while to get in touch with customer support, but for them, phones call numbers are still the fastest and easiest way to contact a company.

Think that in those digital times, phone calls should be long gone? Absolutely not, they have never been more important! If you’re not convinced – here are seven reasons why a phone call number is a must for your business.

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7 advantages of phone calls for your business

#1 Not everyone can use digital ways of contact

According to the most recent data from Statista, 4.57 billion people were active on the internet as of July 2020. It might sound like a huge number, but that’s “merely” 59% of the global population. Out of those people, 3.6 billion people have a social media account, and 3.9 billion have an email address. 

Besides places where access to the internet is still a problem, some people have quite the trouble with using modern means of communication and prefer to use phone call numbers. Especially that…

Find out how to obtain a free business phone number and why you should do it:

#2 Smartphones are with us almost 24/7

Thanks to the widespread use of cell phones and smartphones, our phones are with us almost 24/7. What’s more, an average user checks their phone 58 times a day. So if something catches their eye, most people will usually grab their phone to look for the product or company. Quite often, they will also look for phone call numbers- 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours. Want to have a chance at attracting those customers?

It’s crucial for your business to have a phone number in a visible place on your website. Even better if you have a “Call us now” button on your website. With a “call us” button, a customer can click on it to make a call, without having to search for the number. The easier it is for your potential customer to make a call, the likelier it is that they will call you with a question or issue.

#3 People want to talk to humans (at least every once in a while)

As convenient as text messages, emails, and chat are, there’s one thing which they can’t offer – the human touch. It’s pretty hard to show emotions and empathy through text messages or emails, that’s why text-based communication always sounds “robotic”. 

Speaking over the phone with an agent is far more personal and reassuring for the customer. In a CGS survey, 86% of consumers said they prefer to interact with a human agent, and 71% said they would be less likely to use a brand if it didn’t have human customer service representatives available. 

Also, when speaking on the phone, agents can hear customers’ tone of voice and quickly take note of customers’ mood – something that is not yet possible through mails or chat. Reassuring a distressed customer or calming down an angry caller is a sure way to boost both the caller’s trust in the company and the company’s reputation for splendid customer service. Offering seamless customer support through phones is also a fantastic way to build customer loyalty.

#4 Phone calls are best for urgent issues

Imagine you have an emergency. Maybe your car broke in the middle of the road, your credit card got declined, or your computer stopped turning on. What method of contact would you use to ask for help in solving the problem? There’s no telling when you would get a reply on social media or email. Searching for a live-chat option in such a situation is out of the question as well. In an urgent situation, most people look for phone call numbers to a company. That’s often the easiest and quickest way to inform customer support about the problem or to schedule an appointment. 

If your customers can’t quickly contact you directly in an emergency, there’s a risk they will start looking for a different company, one that will respond to them when they need it. 

#5 Phone calls are useful for complicated or technical issues

Some matters are too complicated, detailed, or sensitive to be talked over in a chat. Going through them one-by-one in emails would also take far too much of your time. Months ago, for such matters, you could simply schedule a meeting. But what now, when meetings are pretty much out of the question? Phone call numbers are your best bet. During the call, you can immediately talk over all details and make sure there are no misunderstandings. If you expect that the second person will have several questions, calls allow you to answer all of them in real-time.

When it comes to technical issues, phones are also incredibly helpful. Written instructions are useful, but your customers are likely to get stuck at some point. During a call, you can walk them step by step and immediately react to any issues or questions your customer might have.     

#6 Phone calls are helpful when being present in different countries

Nowadays, you can get clients from other countries as quickly as local ones – especially with emails and live chat support. But you also need to think about offering a way for the customers to call you. Fortunately, you no longer need to deal with enormous bills for international calls.

With a virtual phone system like CloudTalk, you can quickly and easily create one or more international phone call numbers for your business. The numbers look and act just like regular local phone numbers for a given country, but they are forwarded using the internet. That way, no matter from which country the call comes, it can be answered in your main call center.

Another benefit of virtual phone numbers compared to cell phones is that your customers can call you either toll-free or for standard rates. If they know they won’t have to pay astronomical bills for the call, they are much more likely to pick up the phone and call you if they have an issue. If you want to read a bit more on virtual numbers and how you can get one for yourself, we wrote about the benefits of international phone numbers and how to get one quickly on our blog. 

#7 A phone call number proves your business is a legal one

Let’s be honest here – some people might be suspicious of your business if you do not have a phone number. Would you order a product or a service from a company that has no phone number on their website? Or would you immediately think this is some shady business? Without a visible phone number, customers might worry that if anything goes wrong, they have no means of receiving immediate help. Business phone number helps in assuring your customers your business won’t suddenly disappear and leave your customers alone with their problems. 

The importance of calling revealed

Even though customers now have several new ways to contact businesses, plenty of them is still sticking by phone. While calling a company might be a frustrating experience sometimes, nothing can beat a phone call when it comes to dealing with urgent or complicated matters. Several of your customers also prefer using the phone solely for a more personal, one-on-one contact with a human agent. So abandoning or neglecting your business phone line might have dire consequences for your business. Especially in times when companies rival on having the best customer service possible. 

Luckily, technology can help you quite a lot here. With a call center solution like CloudTalk, you can offer seamless customer phone support and also gain plenty of data from each call, to further optimize your business. Interested in learning more? Try it out for free.