5 Questions to Analyse Your Communication Provider's Support

With 88% of customers having higher expectations of customer support than ever before, according to Hubspot, there has arguably never been a better time to invest in strengthening your support options to keep your beloved customers satisfied. This figure is also indicative of how highly customers value support options with the companies they do business with; without an appropriate level of support, customer problems can be left unsolved for an extended period. In the world of business, this lost time equates to lost productivity and profits.

This is especially true for business communications, such as a business VOIP phone system. Without the ability to communicate effectively with customers, the relationship between the two can easily begin to break down or be killed instantly, with no hope of recovery, stalling business success. That’s why, when comms issues strike, businesses need effective and reliable support to get things back up and running as quickly as possible. In the same breath, proactive businesses should be monitoring the effectiveness of the support they receive from their communications provider, ensuring everything is still up to the standard they expect.If you’re wondering whether it’s time to explore other options for your business communications provider, you’re in the right place. The team at Elite Group are highly experienced in organising and implementing business communication services, cloud phone systems, IT services and connectivity solutions, as well as offering excellent business communications support to maintain a healthy and active relationship with their audience. With this in mind, here are 5 questions to analyse your business communications provider’s support, and what you should expect from a first-class provider.

Question 1: How Quickly Does Your Provider Respond to Issues?

According to statistics from SuperOffice, the average length of time it takes for a customer service agent to respond to a request sent via email is 12 hours, with figures suggesting some of the worst response times are over the seven-day mark. In the case of business communications, having to wait anywhere near this amount of time for a response could spell disaster, leaving communications with customers struggling – or down entirely. Leading said customers to become disgruntled and to look elsewhere.

The level of downtime communications issues could cause is devastating no matter what industry you work in. For large-scale businesses with hundreds of employees, downtime results in an average loss of $16,000 (approximately £12,500) per minute, according to data from Pingdom. To make matters worse, the average time it takes for customer service to resolve a technical problem is around 24 hours, signalling significant losses for businesses if the above figures are applied.

From an employee standpoint, a lack of effective support and issue resolution can leave countless workers unable to serve their customers to the expected standard or communicate with their colleagues regarding important issues.

That’s why, at Elite Group, we’re proud to boast some of the most impressive response times in the business communications sphere, to keep our customers up and running as much as possible. With an average response time of just 5 minutes, our business communications customers can expect a stellar level of service in rapid time. Plus, with a 91% first-time resolution rate, you can expect your communications issues to be solved the first time around in the vast majority of instances, without the need to constantly call or email back to track the progress of your resolution. As a result, the businesses we serve can expect far less downtime than they would experience with other providers, which is time that can be re-applied to serving their own customers well.

Question 2: Do They Offer 24/7 Support?

According to data from the Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report, almost 50% of modern consumers expect companies to offer 24/7 support, including evenings and weekends. While this may be a hefty expectation for smaller, more independent companies, it is a more understandable ask of business communications providers, given the level of importance this service carries. For example, a multi-national business that serves customers in multiple time zones will need to remain in consistent contact with its customer base at all times and doesn’t have the luxury of an out-of-hours period in which technical issues can be fixed. To avoid excessive downtime and lost profits in the thousands, 24/7 wrap-around support can prove to be a godsend for such businesses, helping them maintain constant standards and uphold an impressive reputation.

Without such support, these large businesses can expect their profits to quickly falter, their customer numbers to plummet and, potentially, their reputation to be thrown to the dogs if they leave enough customers dissatisfied. That’s why, at Elite Group, we make it a priority to support our business communications customers no matter the hour or day they need assistance. 

With our Elite Assist support package, should you encounter an issue with your business comms, you can rely on 24/7 phone-based customer service, meaning you’ll always have a technical expert to speak with, no matter the hour or the specific problem. This is ideal for international businesses, or businesses that operate outside of the standard nine-to-five. With numerous levels of support available, depending on your needs, and a free trial of the service also on offer, our business communications customers can start to reap the benefits of this service immediately if they wish.

Question 3: What Certifications Do Their Team Possess?

Having access to customer support should be an important quality any business seeks when working with a partner company that provides an important service. But for something as pressing and technically challenging as business communications, it pays for businesses to know they’re backed by not just reliable, but well-informed and fully qualified individuals who are uniquely positioned to solve a plethora of problems.

Without access to accredited customer service agents who are experts in their field, businesses can waste time reaching out for support, only to be met with the type of solutions they could have scouted out for themselves online – which often aren’t in-depth enough to completely fix a problem, or miss the mark entirely. This is yet another reason why we only choose to link the businesses we serve with accredited experts who ensure a solution is fit for purpose and are confident the advice and support they offer is completely accurate, based on their years of experience.

Better still, Elite Group puts a huge emphasis on ongoing training, which is essential in an ever-evolving area such as business communications technology. This guarantees that our support staff can offer the most comprehensive, useful and up-to-date information for our customers, while also accruing fresh accreditations that help them perform their roles even more effectively. With key accreditations from some of the biggest brands, you can always be sure you’re dealing with someone ideally suited to your specific problems when you reach out to Elite.

Click here for a closer look at our awards and industry-standard accreditations.

Question 4: How Effective is Their Communication?

In the modern digital age where people opt to communicate with each other in numerous ways, customers expect the companies they deal with to offer the same resource. While 61% of customers still prefer to speak to a real-life customer service agent over the phone when contacting customer support, according to research by Salesforce, there is a huge portion of customers who like to explore other means of communication, such as email, live chat and even video chat.

This is why companies need to offer multiple means of contact for customers seeking support. By offering more than one means of contact, business communication providers are giving their highest-value clients more options to stay in contact when the situation requires it, helping clients reach out in a way that suits them or in a way that is relevant to the unfolding issue. For example, in scenarios where a more detailed description of an issue and solution is required, a good old-fashioned phone call will likely be a favourite. However, for less pressing issues, the problem could be resolved with a less formal, less pressing live chat.

No matter how a customer chooses to reach out to their communications provider for support, crystal-clear and proactive communication on the part of the provider is essential. Not only to keep the customer on-side, but to ensure issues are swiftly resolved for the wider benefit of their business and their own customers. Things like regular account updates and contract reviews, to ensure the customer is getting the best value for their money, are key ways communications providers can keep their customers satisfied. 

Support from Elite Group is available via both phone and email, to suit a multitude of tastes and needs, as well as our innovative Service Now portal. This portal allows our customers to raise and track tickets for support requests, troubleshooting and fault-fixing, so you’ll always have a clear view of the progress of your request or repair. This prevents the need for you to consistently contact us, allowing you to keep an eye on things at the touch of a button. You’ll also be assigned a personal Account Manager who will remain in regular contact with you and act as your main port of call for any issues or enquiries. They’ll also conduct regular account reviews, so you don’t have to.

Question 5: Do They Understand Your Business Needs?

The importance of relevant industry experience cannot be understated when offering businesses support in their communication efforts. It is possible to use only learning materials to offer support, but the fastest and most reliable support always comes from technical support agents with previous real-life experience helping customers. The former wastes time and doesn’t help to build a solid working relationship.

Speaking of working relationships, rapport and understanding between businesses and business communications providers is essential if the relationship is to work to its fullest advantage. Sadly, though, far too many providers simply treat their business customers as one out of a pack and fail to truly personalise services and interactions based on the precise needs of the business. 

This lack of personal touch and willingness to go deeper and understand what makes a business unique in its ways of working can potentially harm a business’s chances of success when said business reaches out for support. The provider could waste time suggesting solutions that may not meet the specific business needs, which could have been avoided had they taken the time to get to know the business in question.

This is why Elite values experience and personalisation above all else. We believe in a consultative approach and take the time to get to know your business and your ways of working, inside and out, including your needs, goals and daily challenges. Because of this, we’re almost always able to offer a solution that fits your needs and solves your problems the first time, without scrambling to search for solutions that fit as other providers may do.

Looking to Work with a Business Communication Solutions Provider Who Cares? Elite Group is Here for You

With over 20 years of industry experience providing business communications and technical support services, you can always rely on Elite Group to deliver. We’re committed to providing the best experience and the utmost value to our customers, so we can solve your communication issues quickly, helping your business remain productive for longer. Our support team of accredited specialists, engineers and customer service representatives are ready and waiting to assist you in any way we can, for the betterment of your business growth, with absolutely no hidden costs or surprises.

Plus, with dedicated account management, you’ll always have a specific individual you can rely on for regular updates, product information, or any other information that’s relevant to your services. For more information on our business communication and support services, or if you’re interested in any of our other impressive services (including leased lines or a business broadband package) reach out to an Elite Group expert today.