CX – The ROI of phone number testing

Phone number testing and voice quality testing may not be familiar to some. But, to the many businesses that proactively test and monitor, the return on investment is clear.

Even the smallest business now has the opportunity to reach global markets. Consumers and b2b customers are growing more comfortable with online transactions. As comfort grows, so does the value and complexity of those transactions. But customers value human contact when they want and need it.

While today’s communications services are impressive, the underlying networks are complex. Things can, and do, go wrong. Phone calls involve multiple service providers who’s networks use different technologies, different software, and different configurations. Toll-free services or local-access numbers that deliver calls to contact centers often transit multiple regulatory zones.

Phone number testing

Phone number testing helps businesses to maintain high levels of availability on their critical customer-facing services. Voice quality testing helps to ensure that when customers do make contact, conversations are clear and comfortable.

According to Consumer Reports, “highly annoying” pain points in customer service include “can’t get a live person on the phone” (75% of respondents), “disconnected” (74% of respondents) and “voice recognition works poorly” (61% of respondents). Customer loyalty is more fragile than ever. Consumers won’t hesitate to move on to the next competitor if they cannot connect. Network operations managers have challenges.

Voice Assure is the leader in phone number testing, voice quality testing, and telecommunications service monitoring. By using a deliberate, proactive monitoring approach, network operations managers are driving continuous improvement with their chosen carrier partners. They are identifying technical challenges before these become customer impacting. Service level improvements are clearly measured and impressive.

The risk to sales

A sales call that never connects is unlikely to convert to revenue. Many businesses are simply unaware of faults which prevent calls from being delivered.  As a result, those businesses experience limited growth, or worse, decline.

It is essential to perform proactive phone number testing in order to avoid lost sales calls in the global network. Call connection rates are tightly monitored and sales enquiries offer the opportunity for growth of revenue and market share. Positive engagement occurs with existing customers making them repeat revenue contributors.

Reputation and negative impressions

A missed call is a missed opportunity but it also leaves a poor impression on the caller. Consumers expect a level of professionalism from a business. When communication issues create friction in the customer experience there is frustration. Negative reviews don’t support brand building.

Impact on employee motivation

Great customer conversations are two-way. Businesses want their customer-facing agents to be knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Communication problems create anxiety and frustrate employees as well as consumers. Poor voice quality reduces listening comfort and adds stress to a conversation for both parties. 

Sales or service agents can quickly become demotivated. Agents get a sense that there is no genuine commitment to customer service.

Proactive Monitoring

Only 19.3% of customers that have had a bad customer experience with a brand will report directly to such brand. (Source: Smart Insights)

Feedback is a gift that businesses do not always get. Consumers are busy people. When they want and need to speak to a knowledgeable person but can’t, they quickly move on. A technical problem that is not reported lingers in the network. It impacts many others until some circumstance puts a spotlight on it.  

Proactive monitoring with Voice Assure In-country, Voice Assure Interstate, and Voice Assure Realtime, allows businesses to identify potential problems. Corrective action is taken before widespread impact. Each incident encountered is not only captured, it is captured with vital network information required to support resolution. 

89% of consumers have moved to a competitor following a poor customer experience with a brand. (Source: Customer Thermometer)

Customer loyalty is hard earned. Retaining that loyalty is also a challenge. Phone number testing and voice quality testing ensure that the communication channel supports great customer interaction. 

Businesses that focus on proactive monitoring see measurable benefits, including:

• Reduction in incidents and outages as continuous improvement positively impacts carrier performance.
• Reduction in MTTR as the time to restore service / resolve issues is optimized.
• Increased customer retention and customer lifetime value.
• Increase revenue and business success.