CPA Baton Rouge | Opportunity Called – Did You Answer?

Baton Rouge CPA

The first step to growing your business is attracting new clients. Your website, social media, and marketing are all geared toward the idea of getting people to call your office. To help convert this interest into new customer appointments, you have probably spent time selecting and training the team members who answer the phones during office hours. But have you considered what happens when a prospective customer calls when the business is closed?

Many businesses do not have any coverage for phone calls outside their hours of operation or during lunch hour. Others have an impersonal answering machine advising callers of the business hours and perhaps offering to record a message. This can be extremely frustrating for your customers, both current and prospective.

If your customer discovers on Friday afternoon or evening that they will need to reschedule an appointment set for Monday morning, chances are that message will not be heard until it is too late to move another patient into the opening. If your phones are being answered outside working hours, this can be addressed much more promptly, leading to better scheduling and happier customers.

You may be wondering how to arrange to have 24/7 phone coverage. There are a few options available, but one of the most economical and most personal for your business is to train some of your team members to share the responsibility. No one has better knowledge of your practice, your customers, and your schedule than your own team. You will want to decide on the best way to compensate them for the added time, such as paying them a set amount per weekend or evening day or an amount per call answered.

Once this is determined, arrange a rotation for the team members who will participate. Your main phone line can be forwarded to a business-owned mobile phone during off-hours, which can be held by the team member on call. Be sure that each person has your after-hours contact information in case of an emergency, especially when you are first launching this system.

After a few months, hold a meeting with all the involved team members to review the number of after-hours calls you receive, what times are most common, and how many are converted into new appointments for your business. This can help you value the ROI for this new plan of action and to determine whether your office benefits from full 24/7 coverage or if a more limited extension of hours is more cost-effective.

If you have other questions, contact our office for a business management consultation. 

Apple Guerin Company LLC Phone: (255) 767-1020 6421 Perkins Road, Bldg. A, Ste. 1B Baton Rouge, LA 70808