Collaborating Seamlessly: SMBs Activate UCaaS to Outdo Competitors
What kind of a small or medium-sized business (SMB) asks its call-in customers — who are just trying to find some assistance — to suffer through a frustrating service slog? Or allows its team of otherwise competent professionals to be so consistently ineffective at solving customer problems, the times the team has actually come together to delight the customer seem like little more than happy accidents?
It’s the kind of SMB that doesn’t have unified communications as a service (UCaaS) — unfortunately, a very common kind of SMB.
Few SMBs Can Pool Their Collective Expertise Without UCaaS
And what a great thing that is. (You’ll see why in a minute.)
(And when you stop to think about it, although it’s unfortunate that a competitor who doesn’t have UCaaS still has to compete with the SMB who does have it, it’s great that they, at least, both now have the opportunity to unlock their team’s best for their customers. It’s just that the competitor hasn’t taken that opportunity yet.)
Rather than insist on UCaaS’s collaboration perks, let’s look at how both SMBs might handle the same customer call.
As the realities of customer service would have it, the customer, Hannah, has to make the first move and dial.
To the competitor without UCaaS, it’s a toll number that charges Hannah’s long-distance plan.
To the SMB with UCaaS, it’s a 1-800 toll-free number that doesn’t.
Both businesses answer right away.
At the competitor? It’s an uneasy receptionist offering “Little Company, LLC. Please hold.”
At the SMB with UCaaS?
It’s an easily implemented virtual receptionist with an interactive voice response (IVR) menu, whose detailed options put Hannah in a brief call queue for the best available associate.
Patiently, Hannah waits. Thinking about how she’s going to describe her issue.
With the competitor, this goes on too long. Hannah hangs up. Done.
With the SMB with UCaaS, Hannah gets with the best available associate. Fast.
But that associate, Eric, quickly realizes he’ll need some expert advice for Hannah’s answer!
Equipped With UCaaS, Though, This Isn’t a Problem
Hannah emails Eric a photo of the issue. He asks her to hold as he opens a chat with a product manager, Alicia.
Alicia sees the photo, recognizes the issue, and gives Eric a fix. He relays it to Hannah. Customer satisfaction achieved.
Delighted, Hannah renews her service for another year.
But then something amazing happens.
Alicia, the product manager, casually shares Hannah’s photo in a group chat with Alicia’s team — the product management leaders.
Inspired, Alicia’s supervisor, Carl, easily escalates the group chat to a team video meeting that quickly leads to plans to fundamentally change the product’s design.
Once you recognize the synchronous beauty of Hannah’s customer experience, of Eric’s associate experience, and of Alicia and Carl’s team experience, you’ll no doubt recognize why it’s a great thing that few SMBs can pool their collective expertise without UCaaS.
Because if they could, sure, they might answer Hannah’s issue. But Hannah’s issue would never get the opportunity to inspire Alicia, Carl, et al.
And It’s an Opportunity Like That That an SMB Can Expect
… when it adopts UCaaS.
Of course, in the event that an SMB should run into trouble choosing a UCaaS platform, they could always call up a UCaaS vendor — naturally an enthusiastic UCaaS user itself — and state their concerns to an associate.
Who could then relay those concerns in a group chat with grateful product management leaders.
Who could then easily escalate that message to a team video meeting about making their UCaaS offering easier to choose.
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