Nursing the wound
“Because of our background as nurses we’ve found that our clients are able to talk to us about personal issues that require discretion and trust,” says Pettigrew. “Our aim is to take away the stress.”
Parish explains that most customer calls last several minutes, as they involve in-depth consultation while “really hearing what the customers want.” But for every call answered, she found several more were missed before CMP moved to the Digital Business package.
Although professional clients were happy to leave a message on CMP’s answering machine, elderly customers weren’t so comfortable talking to a machine – and simply hung up.
Improving efficiencies helps sales
In spring 2012, CMP asked Telstra for a hand. The existing Telstra Business phone connection was upgraded with Telstra’s DOT – an all-in-one small business solution that combines fixed lines, high-speed broadband, mobiles, fax and EFTPOS on the one account, with costs presented on a single bill.
DOT gives CMP several ways to pick up customer calls, as well as other benefits:
1. Call management
A ‘Virtual Receptionist’ can be set up that directs calls to the most appropriate person in the business. They can receive calls on their desk phone, portable phone or mobiles. The switch happens seamlessly as far as the customer is concerned.
“We can direct calls to a handpiece or mobile and walk around the shop,” explains Pettigrew. “If we’re talking about a piece of equipment we can check the product info, like the safe working load. It also enabled us to have a nice Christmas with the family and still be on call for physios who had clients coming out of hospital and needing a product.”
2. Voicemail
Professional customers are comfortable leaving messages through the voice2email service, which Pettigrew and Parish can check via email and respond to quickly. Caller ID and directory: Pettigrew says Caller ID helps CMP overcome the ‘technology generation gap’ that sees elderly customers hang up rather than leave a voicemail. “Now with DOT if they don’t leave a message, we’ve got their number from the missed calls list,” she explains. “We can get straight back to them, say who we are and still have that contact with the customer.”
3. One bill to manage costs
The DOT package helps CMP manage its communications costs better, too. They now get one bill with all of their usage tracked for them and, best of all, shared data and voice allowances and free intra account calls. “I know our bills are reduced,” notes Pettigrew. “I think previously we were spending about $240 a month on calls and that has dropped to around $110.”
4. How Telstra Business supports small business growth
Telstra innovations expert Andrew Stormont explains how DOT lets small business people focus on the job they love:
Professional services: “Telstra can manage the entire installation process to help businesses set up quickly and learn how to make the most of the new system. Depending on your needs, we can offer mentoring on-site or over the phone — and our technical experts are available 24/7.”
Future ready: “Every DOT package is designed to make it easier to manage your communications, with everything you need in one account to do business today. You can add services when you need to and the technology itself is NBN ready, so you won’t need to upgrade later.”
Flexible plan options: “There’s a range of pricing options, starting from $110 per month. And with our No Regrets policy, you can move up or down on your Core Plan without penalty.”
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