{"id":2700,"date":"2016-03-24T11:18:05","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T18:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=2700"},"modified":"2016-03-24T11:18:05","modified_gmt":"2016-03-24T18:18:05","slug":"dont-let-noise-drive-your-small-business-customers-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/dont-let-noise-drive-your-small-business-customers-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t let noise drive your small business customers away"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"annoyance_men_noise_desk_office_sitting\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fed up with all the noise surrounding you these days? Here\u2019s something that may brighten your day.\u00a0 A new article just out in the April edition of The Atlantic<\/em> entitled \u201cThe Future Will Be Quiet\u201d<\/a> looks at new technologies that will help make our noisy cities and suburbs quieter, such as quiet pavement and self-driving cars that could eliminate the need for sirens and horns. This may be music to your ears since noise in our everyday lives has become a problem. So much so, the article points out “Researchers at the University of Michigan estimate that about one-third of Americans are exposed to harmful noise, and might be at risk of noise-related health problems.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not only noise out of doors that\u00a0 is causing stress and distraction. Today\u2019s modern offices are hardly a place to escape from the din. With their open office space environments, today\u2019s offices have become nosier than ever. Noise in the workplace is not only impacting workers’ productivity (The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) found<\/a> that 70 percent of office workers believe their productivity would be higher if their environment was less noisy), it can impact customer relations.<\/p>\n

Can you hear me now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Background noise can seriously hinder communication with your small business customer or prospect. For starters, background noise is transmitted down the phone so your customer may have trouble hearing you clearly.\u00a0 Since noise is distracting, you may not be giving your customer the degree of attention required, which leads to misunderstandings and your inability to collect needed information accurately. There\u2019s also the issue of protecting customer information on a screen. In a noisy environment, your voice may rise as you try to convey the information you are reading so that others in range may hear you.<\/p>\n

If noise is impacting your small business customer connections, it\u2019s time to make some changes. Customer service is as important to your small business brand as your products and services.\u00a0 \u00a0In today\u2019s highly socially connected world, negative customer service experiences can be broadcast across the country and continents in a matter of minutes and that can impact your revenue. Data <\/a>from Forrester Research shows how improving customer experience scores from \u2018below\u2019 to \u2018above average\u2019 affects loyalty, which in turn affects revenue in three categories.<\/p>\n