Finding your business voice

British small businesses are leading a migration back to the phone and away from email as the primary means of customer communication, according to a survey conducted by YouGov and commissioned by internet phone company Vonage.

The survey revealed that 41 per cent of small businesses now communicate most frequently by phone, compared to 37 per cent by email, with ease of use, speed, cost-effectiveness and enhanced customer experience the most commonly cited drivers for this migration.

While email is still favoured in instances where a paper trail is necessary, in small business communications where customer relationships are the foundation of success, the telephone was prized for its immediacy and personal touch.

Says Kerry Ritz, managing director of Vonage: “It is far more difficult to build a rapport over email that it is over the phone, which is why we are seeing a growing number of small businesses turning back to the phone as a primary means of customer communications.”