Inclement weather can decrease productivity and damage customer relations when it causes your business to close. With each cold-weather season, inclement weather becomes more unpredictable. In some cases, employees are unable to get to work and businesses struggle to operate when the roads get covered in snow and ice.
Fortunately, contact centers are the solution to this frustrating problem. When your company cannot take calls due to inclement weather, an off-site contact center can act as your answering service. Companies that use contact centers year-round do not have to experience dips in productivity caused by severe weather.
There is always a chance that inclement weather can have a severe impact on your business’s operations. Do not wait until your business is suffering to consider a contact center’s answering service. Be prepared ahead of time by hiring a contact center to provide your company with helpful assistance.
A Contact Center Is Always Available to Take Calls
Severe weather, such as snow and ice, can impede your business’s operations. In some cases, staff may not make it to work. If you rely solely on in-house employees for call answering and customer service, your phones will likely go unanswered during this time.
However, if you outsource your call answering to a contact center, it will not be impacted by inclement weather. Your callers will have their needs met regardless of who is in the office on any given day. A contact center will take important messages including promising sales leads while answering customer service questions in real-time.
Some companies have to cut their losses during inclement weather and close for the day. That leaves no one available to answer phones, so calls will either go to voicemail or ring indefinitely. This has the potential to upset customers who want their questions answered.
However, with a contact center ready and available to take calls, customer questions will be answered in a timely and effective manner. You, as owner or manager, can rest assured that customers will be taken care of, regardless of whether or not an on-site answering staff is available to come in for the day.
A Contact Center Prevents Employee Harm
Employees might not be comfortable driving in severe weather to get to the office. This is especially true in southern states like Texas and Arkansas that rarely see heavy winter weather. When there is snow and ice on the roads, you do not want your employees endangering themselves by driving on unfamiliar terrain.
Fortunately, contact center agents can take calls from their locations. You can allow your employees to stay home off the roads without wondering how calls will be answered.
Additionally, a contact center can work as an effective employee inclement weather hotline. For small companies, employees can get in touch with management quickly and easily. But, for large companies, employees can call a hotline through the contact center to find out about work when weather conditions become dire.
A Contact Center Will Have Its Own Inclement Weather Policy
Unfortunately, contact centers are not immune to winter weather themselves. If you are wondering how a contact center handles its own inclement weather and still provides for its customers, you can rest assured. Contact centers have preparedness plans in place for inclement weather. Contact center agents often have the tools to work remotely:
- Re-routed headsets
- Remote software
- Flexible staffing
Many contact centers offer flexible staffing options that include remote workers and workers that spend some time at home and some time in the office. With this business model, contact centers are ready for all kinds of issues that can pop up unexpectedly, including inclement weather.
About Ansafone Contact Centers
Ansafone Contact Centers is an award-winning BPO provider with 50 years of world-class customer experience and brand care. We are a national call center with omnichannel services, fully equipped to help you with your business and with any special circumstances.
Please request a quote or call 800-510-0514 to learn more about our custom solutions for creating exceptional customer service experiences for your clients. We’re happy to offer insight into what your customers seek from your company’s language offerings and tailored customer solutions.