Even with how accustomed we have become at using websites and mobile apps to connect with businesses, sometimes nothing beats speaking to a real person. It also helps improve business results. Through a one-on-one conversation with a customer, you have the opportunity to create an emotional connection and build or reinforce customer loyalty. The key is that it has to be convenient and happen at the exact time the customer wants to talk. As customers increasingly use their mobile phone to interact with your website, they are more likely to click on a “call” button than ever before. However, they want an immediate response and relevant answers to any questions they have. Google breaks the process into “three pillars for providing a great caller experience”:

(Image Credit: Google)

1. The customer should experience a seamless online-to-offline experience

You need to allow the user to choose when in their “journey” to call you. First, this means being available whenever the customer wants to speak, ideally 24/7. Second, your contact number must be visible. If your company uses AdWords call extensions, the customer has the choice of calling or clicking through to your website. Even if the customer decides to click through to the site instead of calling from your ad, make sure your phone number is highly visible on your landing page.

2. Prioritize your most valuable callers

As an example, many companies find that their highest quality customers are intent-driven and call after viewing an AdWords ad. By utilizing a calling system that is able to detect these highly desirable prospects, they can be routed to a special queue where calls are answered immediately.

3. Use contextual consumer insights

When answering the phone, utilizing additional contextual signals is very valuable and allows you to know what the user is interested in when you start your conversation with him or her. There are a number of contextual signals, but they may include the keywords the caller used to search for or a particular page on your website they were looking at prior to calling. By leveraging this information, you can immediately engage the customer and provide a continuation of their journey, adding personalized information to the conversation that further enhances the experience. Following these three pillars is a great start, but it is equally important that the customer leaves the conversation feeling the experience was a great one. This may require some training of your call center personnel so that they can take advantage of every call and interaction with the customer and make him or her feel like you are there when they need you.