Help & Advice
Trends on calls outside of normal business hours

The increase in call volumes outside of business hours

Feature for Simply Business monthly customer emailer. Simply Business are the UK's leading commmercial insurance specialists - Feb 2010

For most businesses a great deal of time and energy is spent attracting and retaining customers. So what happens when the goal posts move?

Research undertaken by Bristol based 24 Hour telephone answering company, Office Response Ltd, suggests that you may be missing important business enquiries and customer contact outside of normal trading hours leading to customers migrating to your competitors.

“During the past few years we have seen a steady increase in both consumer and business related phone calls taking place before and after the normal working day”, explains Steve West, Marketing & Business Development Manager at Office Response. “The UK has been ahead of Europe for a while now when it comes to average working hours. Add to that a greater focus on core business activities during the hours of 9-5 and it all adds up. People are having to make purchasing decisions, search for new suppliers and develop business relationships in the evening and at weekends. Put simply, customers are demanding more – and that includes extended trading hours.”

Studies of call patterns and volumes handled by the company show a growing trend of calls being handled during the weekend and between the hours of 6am to 9am and 6pm to 11pm, traditionally a time when companies are unavailable. There has also been a significant increase in companies requiring 24 hour coverage.

“Our research has also shown that the trend is noticeable across most markets and industry sectors. What has surprised us most is the amount of business that takes place during the weekend. It’s no longer acceptable to simply provide a voicemail for your customers to leave messages on. People want to deal with companies that can help them – and help them now.

“Many of our new customers have explained that they need to remain contactable outside of normal trading hours just to compete in their markets. As the world continues to become a 24 hour marketplace the need to be available has also increased. Fur us it has resulted in additional recruitment and resourcing during the new ‘rush hours’. We decided five years ago to provide 24 hour call coverage from our Bristol premises when it was only really perceived as a benefit for global, multinational organisations. However, the rise in SME’s and private businesses needing to maximise every opportunity means having someone on the end of the phone all day, every day”