A few weeks ago I mentioned how important communication was for small businesses – and how without it, it can feel suffocating.

This week I wanted to take a closer look at a very specific touch point: the initial contact/inquiry.

As mentioned in that post above, one of the first areas that becomes a bottleneck for many small businesses is that main communication line (phone, email or text/message). It’s only natural – as you add more customers/clients and your network grows, you’ll organically receive more incoming inquiries through that main “front door” to your business (virtual or otherwise).

Splitting out communication into separate lines (or routing) is a great way to direct the flow of traffic so that your primary line remains open for the most important, valuable inquiries.

However you split your communication lines (or route different types of communication) according to purpose, there is one type of communication that should always take top priority: the initial customer/client inquiry.

The First Impression

Whether that first touch happens in the digital world (email/message) or by phone, that initial interaction can say a lot about a small business.

A live response (whether by phone, email or other message) can create a sense of a live, healthy business – eager to help or provide service.

Confident, clear responses – knowing how to answer any question that may be asked (more on that later) – can offer a sense of authority and trust.

However you craft that initial touch (something that’s in line with your overall differentiation strategy), it’s important that you create the experience that reflects your particular small business the best – one that will serve as (hopefully) the start of many new relationships as your small business grows.

Response Time

Phone lines jam up, email inboxes overflow, voicemails get full – today’s small business owner receives no shortage of incoming communication so it’s not uncommon for those response times to stretch.

While this is common for large businesses as well, delayed response times – especially to communication that comes in from the digital world – for small business owners can make or break many interactions.

As those opportunities can be fewer for small businesses, the difference between responding in a few minutes or responding in a few hours can make or break many weeks or months.

Mentioned briefly above, communication that comes in online must be responded to promptly — navigating to a competitor or adjacent listing is as easy as simply scrolling down, so any slow or poor initial interaction can mean your competitor will likely receive that call or message as well.

To Script or Not To Script (Plus FAQs)

Scripts – preset, template responses – can make that initial interaction repeatable. It’s something that can allow each interaction to give the same first impression, no matter who is calling (ideally).

They can also provide the basis for training others on taking those phone calls (something most small business owners should eventually do – for sanity’s sake).

Scripts, however, can feel “stilted” for some audiences – something impersonal that can come off as cold, so it’s important to consider your set of ideal customers first before deploying strict scripts. If you want to create a more relaxed, natural feel perhaps less fixed responses will do.

Along with scripts, frequently asked questions (FAQ) – and associated responses – can help provide additional support for anyone fielding those initial interactions. As you likely are aware, customers/clients can tend to ask the same questions or types of questions about your company, product or service during an initial conversation.  These are often something to include on your website as well, but mapping out answers to those questions can help create a sense of confidence (as mentioned above) for your folks that handle incoming requests.

Of course, you might not have every question covered, but covering the larger, more important questions can make those conversations go much more smoothly as you develop the rest of your FAQ section.

The task I’ll leave you with today is simple: step outside your small business and send through an inquiry or call acting as a customer or client. How would you rate that initial interaction?