Where does accountability fall short?

With Web- and mobile-based communications taking over as the dominant means of contact for many customers, voicemail is on its way out.

Recent statistics from Forbes magazine show that 80 percent of callers sent to voicemail do not leave messages because they don't think they'll ever be heard.

According to the research we have conducted among our Home Care clients: - 50% of Calls are answered

• 75% of Calls are on hold for 5 minutes or longer

• 28% of the Calls are Abandoned before speaking with someone

• 32% of the Calls are pushed to Voice Mail

• 50% of Voice Mail Calls are abandoned

• 36% of Callers do not receive a returned call in less that 6 hours

• 25% of Callers never receive a Call back.

When a caller is presented with a voice mail option, the abandonment rate jumps between 50 and 75 percent. Thirty-six percent of voicemail messages languish for at least six hours before they are heard. And the worst part of this is that there is no accountability for follow-up to ensure the calls are returned. Everyone is looking for instant gratification, and if you can't provide that...a lot of times they'll simply hang up.

Homecare Companies are losing a lot of business opportunities because people are not leaving messages. The Phone Abandonment Rate is, theoretically, a very simple concept. You miss phone calls and that costs you money. The question that arises from this, however, can seem slightly more complicated: how do you eliminate this issue in your business?

This is where having a live person available to answer the phone becomes crucial to any business. And the proof is simple, less than .01% of our callers hang up on a live person.

In order to mitigate this problem, make sure you have your staff trained for success by using:

• Technology – phone trees and various other programs exist to help you keep in contact with the clients who call you

• Reporting - Run daily reports that let you keep an eye on your call metrics

• Staffing – Leverage your human staff to ensure you have enough people to manage your inbound calls

• Process – Make sure you have a company policy on answering the phone

If the above sounds like anything you are experiencing and would like a turn key solution, we invite you to take 3 minutes out of your day and learn more about CuraCall - Keeping Home Care Connected.

Visit www.CuraCall.com or call 732-638-8887 for more information!