Press & PR

Over half of small businesses in the UK could be losing thousands of pounds worth of business because they are not answering their phones, new research has found.

Approximately 20 per cent of potential new business is lost because phones are not answered, the survey from Time Etc discovered.

It is little wonder, when a full seven out of ten callers do not leave a message or call back when they ring a number that does not pick up.

Managing director of Time Etc, Barnaby Lashbrooke, points out that customers are used to "getting everything faster" and are "less tolerant" of poor service.

"It's so easy for people to move on to a competitor if they can't reach you, so it's vital to make the most of each and every time you're contacted," he added.

Using VoIP could help businesses divert calls to where they can be picked up immediately, while the technology also enables customers to leave voicemails.

Writing in Ezine, Nicholas Windby says that businesses can improve their customer service vastly by using VoIP technology.

Using such technology, operating costs are slashed and efficiency is heightened, he writes.