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How Can Businesses Ensure They’ll Reach Customers When So Many Don’t Answer Their Phones?
It happens to nearly all of us every single day: the mobile
phone buzzes and we encounter an unrecognized number and simply
don’t answer. It could be an 800 number, an out-of-state exchange or a spoofed
number that seems recognizable but is often just one that has been created to
seem as though it’s local.
Phone scams are far from a new phenomenon. They have plagued
landline customers for years. But with the increase in smartphones, just about
everybody has their device on them just about all the time — creating a
plethora of opportunities for fraudsters to attempt to con them with false
claims, bogus pleas for help, phony free vacations, and frightening assertions
that the recipient is about to have their social security account cut off or is
facing imminent arrest.
It’s widely assumed that it is exclusively the elderly who
fall for these ploys. But these scams are growing more and more elaborate, and
nearly anyone can be victimized. In fact, according to the Federal Trade
Commission’s recent
annual data summary of consumer complaints, 40% of Americans in their 20s
reported frauds that cost them money, while 18% of fraud victims aged 70 or
older reported they’d been fleeced our funds by a scam.
Another growing issue is the preponderance of robocalls.
Over the past several years, the rise of these frustrating recorded pitches has
been the focus of lawmakers and consumers alike. In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission prioritized
their initiative to stem the spread of illegal robocalls, adopting a new
set of rules designed to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls,
allowing phone companies to proactively block calls that are likely fraudulent
because they originate from certain types of phone numbers. But even with
these updated regulations, robocalls continue to be a major problem. It is
simply too easy and inexpensive for rogue overseas companies to use them as a
tool to get their foot in the door without fear of prosecution.
With all of this going on, is it any wonder that more
consumers than ever seldom swipe their mobile phones to answer? A 2019 Zipwhip
survey and report
(n=520 U.S. adults) found that 87% of respondents said they ignore phone calls
from unknown numbers “often” or “very often.” However, this burgeoning rate of
call avoidance can be a double-edged sword for consumers and legitimate
businesses alike.
In this environment, people often ignore important calls for
reasons such as confirming deliveries or medical appointments, miss out on
receiving critical information from financial institutions, or learning about
legitimate offers from companies with which they already have a relationship.
The problem has only grown worse since the onset of the
pandemic. An April 2020 survey of 1000 U.S. mobile phone users by
communications transparency provider First Orion revealed that 75% of people
said they’d missed an urgent call; nearly a third of those reported they’re
missing more important calls now than before the crisis. Eighty five percent
tried to return crucial missed calls, only to find it challenging to get
someone on the line. First Orion also found that 5% gave up altogether and went
to the physical location to resolve their problem – ultimately putting them at
a greater risk of contracting the virus.
Is there a way for businesses to verify their identity on
each call and allow consumers to be confident that it is a legitimate
communication? Learn about an elegantly simple solution in a complimentary
webinar on CrmXchange. Join First Orion May 18th as they discuss The Future of Contact Center Calling. . Among the topics explored were:
- What Branded Calling is and how it works
- How branding outgoing calls with your business name & logo can improve answer rates and sales
- Why Branded Calls increase customer loyalty and trust
Join this webcast to find out how easy it is to set up call centers for success
from the moment the call is made.