America In Transition: Infographic: Click-to-Call Commerce

Monday, February 29, 2016

Infographic: Click-to-Call Commerce

Mobile devices are causing a huge upward trend. And advertisers are noticing.

BIA/Kelsey predicts that the annual number of mobile phone calls to businesses will reach 162 billion by 2019.

That’s great news for companies. Why?

Because consumers spend more than $1 trillion on offline purchases.

Customers normally conduct online research on their mobile devices, and then call businesses to make an offline transaction.

“Marketers are allocating more time to understand how to reach mobile consumers, especially millennials. Our data shows that for many types of purchases, millennials prefer to contact a business directly by phone, and then are following through with purchases,” states John Busby, SVP of Consumer Insights for the Marchex Institute.

A study by Digital Strategy Consulting found that consumers trust ecommerce businesses more when a telephone number is present. An unlisted phone number may discourage shoppers from purchasing products.

Capital One offers their customers the option to call service reps directly from their mobile apps. So, if an individual has questions about an account, he or she can immediately receive help.

Similarly, Redfin, a residential real estate company, gives home buyers the chance to speak to a local agent about specific listings. It’s a convenient solution for customers who need answers immediately.

However, some businesses are missing the click-to-call commerce opportunity.

About 20% of phone calls are abandoned due to poor customer service and sales practices. For example, shoppers may wait 10 minutes on hold or experience trouble with automated telephone systems.

“To really reap the returns from this type of marketing, companies need to take customer connection seriously — customers want staff to genuinely understand their needs. One sign that businesses are beginning to understand this is the migration of U.S. company call centers back in-house,” writes communications consultant Shellie Karabell.

So, how do you improve customer service over the phone? Here are a few ideas to help your team:

1. Eliminate the need for customers to wait on hold

More than half of customers will abandon a call after one minute of waiting on hold. Instead, offer callers the option to receive a call-back.

2. Add a personal touch

Customers expect a personalized shopping experience. If possible, assign a designated representative to handle the buyer’s individualized needs.

3. Give decision makers actionable data

Customer satisfaction is a company-wide responsibility. Using data will help executives adopt new policies or upgrade initiatives to deliver a better customer experience.

This infographic shows us the trends behind click-to-call commerce and the opportunity to increase lead conversions.