To respond to the growing expectations of customers, many startups and digital companies are choosing to switch to alternative communication channels (email, chat, bots). While these new channels may seem more efficient, the phone is still one of the preferred means of communication between customers and businesses. Before you adopt a multi-channel strategy for your customer relationship, here we will show you 5 reasons why you need to check your clients’ phone numbers.

1. Create a relationship of trust:

Unlike email, the phone forces us to be more authentic and empathetic. A lot of information goes through the voice, depending on the tone used, the inflection, and even the face. When you listen to someone's voice, you're picking up emotional gradients from them. 

Over the phone, the person can become involved in the discussion and show that the satisfaction of the other person with whom they are speaking is important to them. Having the opportunity to interact with a caring and participating human voice is invaluable for developing a good relationship with your customers and ultimately improving your retention.

Today, you can get your customers from different states or cities also. So, it is very important to have their contact numbers in case you need to offer them your products or services. Thankfully, the latest technologies can help you a lot here. Whether you have a name or contact number, you can get more details using a reverse phone lookup. Such services reveal your target client’s full name, contact details, current carrier, state, city, area code, and much more.

You can use a service like PhoneHistory or NumLookup. Through these sites, you can grab complete information on any contact number – personal and business. Opt for sites that have the largest directory of landline and mobile numbers for individuals and companies to get the best results.

2. Improve customer satisfaction:

Imagine the situation of a customer who encounters a problem with their tool. They check your site's documentation to try to find an answer, to no avail. Then a customer goes to your 'Contact' page where several options are presented and decides to send you an email.

After several hours without a response, tired of waiting, they send a tweet hoping it will go faster. And they get a response asking them to call customer support. Your client had to contact you 3 times to get a response.

As you can imagine, their satisfaction is far from the maximum. And even if your client receives a quick response via email, the chances of resolving the issue in a single reply are pretty slim. They will certainly need more details to properly understand the situation.

Using the phone for customer service is a great way to improve your first contact resolution rate, and therefore customer satisfaction. Over the phone, you can ask for clarification, rephrase the caller's request, give them an answer, and immediately check that they have understood everything correctly.

3. Better understand your customer's expectations:

Every contact with a customer is an opportunity to better understand their expectations and how they use your product or service. You may have already imagined it a certain way, but what does it look like in reality?

Are the functionalities you have imagined and developed really useful on a day-to-day basis? When someone buys your product, you can deduce that it offers something they were looking for. But are they happy with the product?

It's up to you to find out by calling them and taking their temperature from time to time. More than statistics on frequent problems, your customer support phone service will be able to better identify the causes and propose proactive solutions. Having your customers on the phone will allow you to enrich your website with use cases, specific documentation, and testimonials.

To solve blocking points and help your customers to use your product successfully, you can also plan training courses or webinars for all your new users.

4. Make your product evolve:

If you have your client’s phone number, it can help you a lot to evolve your product. Having your customers on the phone will also allow you to anticipate the next evolution of your product according to their expectations. Many calls related to a specific point of your product or service can be a sign of the need to improve.

After you resolve the cause of the call, you can take the opportunity to survey your customer about their expectations in terms of features or test new ideas with them. Of course, you won't be able to satisfy all of your customer's requests, and some may even be the opposite of your strategy. But it's important to regularly exchange information and opinions with your customers to make sure your offer is relevant.

5. Upselling and cross-selling:

Sometimes, you need to check your client’s phone numbers because a call to your customer service department is also an opportunity to introduce new payment features or sell the benefits of a more comprehensive monthly plan.

The sales pitch will be much more convincing over the phone than over email. In fact, according to a study, calls are 10 to 15 times more likely to lead to sales than a prospect approached online, for example. 

The more fluid communication, the empathy you can exercise, and the bonds you have created over the phone, the more are bonuses earned with your customers. A simple call to solve a problem can thus be transformed into a sale, for the benefit of your client and your company.

There is no sense in acquiring more and more customers if you are not able to retain them afterward. Your customer service plays a key role on several levels with your dissatisfied customers:

- Making them feel that they are heard and cared for.

- Solving their problem effectively and satisfactorily.

- Understanding the reasons for their departure and trying to address them in the future.

- Sharing recurring problems internally to try to give a more sustainable response.

This way, there are several substantial reasons and benefits to getting your client’s phone numbers. One of the main reasons is that you can improve your retention rate.