The nation’s small companies are turning their backs on e-mail and choosing the telephone as the ultimate means to do business.
A survey by Vonage, the net phone company, reveals that over 40 per cent of micro firms communicate with customers via telephone, compared to 37 per cent which use e-messages.
When a paper trail is needed between company and client however e-mail is the most popular choice, according to the study, obtained by Freelance UK.
It shows the revival of the telephone as a business tool is mainly due to its ease of use, speed, cost-effectiveness and enhanced customer experience, as Vonage explained.
“It’s far more difficult to build a rapport over e-mail than it is over the phone, which is why we are seeing a growing number of small businesses turning back to the phone as the primary means of customer communications,” said Kerry Ritz, the firm’s managing director.
Despite the resurgence, the survey showed almost half of small companies suggested they had never considered changing their landline suppler.
And that’s regardless of the fact that six out of 10 businesses responding admitted their monthly landline bill can climb to up to £300. More than half are saddled with £400 mobile bills, the survey found.
The costs provide one explanation why one in five small companies said they now use an internet telephony service to make ‘VoIP’ calls.
Jun 30, 2006
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