7 ways call answering boosts customer engagement lifecycle

A customer engagement lifecycle is the process of a potential customer becoming a loyal brand advocate. The cycle starts with awareness, where the customer discovers a brand and learns more about its values, products, or services. They then progress to:

• Consideration – evaluation of offering and competitor analysis
• Acquisition – purchase
• Onboarding – use of product or service and value assessment
• Engagement – businesses nurture customer relationships to deliver value and drive repeat purchases 

The final stage is loyalty, at which point they are satisfied customers who make repeat purchases and recommend the brand to others.

This process is crucial for businesses to develop a strong following and sustainable growth. However, one wrong move can disrupt the customer engagement lifecycle and even lose the customer for good. This is why a call answering service can be your biggest asset.

A professional team of support experts can help businesses nurture customer relationships and foster ongoing trust and loyalty. Let’s explore exactly how they achieve this.

1. Always available for customers

To remain competitive, customer-facing businesses need to offer round-the-clock assistance. Regardless of the time zone, customers want to know that they won’t be stranded if they call your number or visit your website.

Whether in the first or last stage of the customer engagement lifecycle, a lack of support creates a negative experience and can cause them to lose trust in your brand.

• See also: How to improve your customer lifetime value (CLV)
• See also: Tips for improving customer communication
• See also: Customer satisfaction: 7 ways to keep customers happy

However, consistently delivering 100% availability can be difficult for in-house teams, especially small teams with limited resources. A simple and efficient solution is to partner with a call answering service. Whether it’s 6 a.m., the middle of the day, or midnight, a call answering service ensures that customers always receive a professional, prompt, and helpful response.

At Bizik, our experts answer calls and live chats instantly between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Outside of these hours, we provide reliable lead capture tools, including a personalised voicemail service and a message capture form. Messages submitted via the form are sent to you immediately, while voicemails are transcribed and delivered by our PAs in a message format the next working day.

2. A strong first impression

You only get one chance to convince your target customers to progress beyond the awareness stage of the customer engagement lifecycle. Failure to win them over initially could mean they’re gone for good.

Partnering with a call answering service means you don’t have to take that risk. They provide an instant, professional response, creating a positive experience with your brand the customer won’t forget. Furthermore, call answering experts are friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about your business, instilling confidence in your business and forming an outstanding first impression.

That first impression isn’t a one-off; it lasts because customers receive the same high standard of service every time they contact you. This will let them know they can depend on you for consistent and practical support.

3. Personalised customer care

Some businesses view customer service as a tick-box exercise rather than a core part of their growth strategy. Going the extra mile with tailored care strengthens the customer engagement lifecycle and leads to higher satisfaction rates, stronger financial performance, and sustainable growth.

Moreover, personalisation is no longer optional; it’s a feature that 76% of customers expect businesses to offer automatically, Zendesk research reveals. They’re even happy to share their data in exchange for a tailored experience, and they’re more likely to become repeat buyers, thus closing the customer engagement lifecycle.

Personalisation recognises that no two customers are the same. They’re not just a phone number or email address; they’re real people with unique needs and circumstances, and businesses must adapt instead of providing a generic service.

This is particularly powerful for customers in the consideration and retention stages of the customer lifetime cycle, as personalisation sets your brand apart from competitors and ensures your customers feel heard and prioritised, making them more likely to return.

At Bizik, we take the time to learn about your brand, values, and style. We then assign your business to a dedicated team of PAs trained to provide your callers with personalised, attentive care.

Claudia Socratous, Director of Bizik, comments:

“At Bizik, we know that every call shapes a customer’s perception of a brand. That’s why our PAs are trained to handle every conversation with empathy, care, and professionalism. For every new business we support, we take the time to understand their brand, processes, and customer needs—so we can act as a seamless extension of their team. This builds trust with our clients and ensures that every caller receives exceptional customer service during every interaction.”

4. Efficient call handling and routing

It’s helpful to have a team member who can vet incoming calls and direct them to the right person or department. This is usually the role of a receptionist.

However, for micro-businesses with limited budgets, for instance, hiring an in-house receptionist may not be a top priority. Yet, without one, they risk appearing disorganised and untrustworthy, potentially disrupting the customer engagement lifecycle.

A great solution is to use a call answering service. They conduct warm call transfers, ensuring each enquiry is assessed and connected to the best channel where the customer will find the most effective support. This avoids excessive transfers, reduces customer frustration, and enhances efficiency at every stage of the customer lifecycle.

5. Multichannel customer support

Nowadays, customers want to be able to contact a business on their own terms. Whether they’re on the move or scrolling through social media, they expect a variety of contact methods so they can choose the one that meets their preferences at any given time.

Despite the name, a call answering service can do much more than answer calls. They provide multichannel support through calls, self-service chatbots, and managed live chat, giving customers the choice of their preferred contact method. Many providers offer additional services, such as outbound calls for proactive customer service.

Multichannel support is the secret ingredient to enhancing the customer engagement lifecycle. It offers flexibility and convenience, boosts engagement, promotes retention, and delivers a unified customer experience.

6. High-volume call handling

Peak times or promotional events can make it difficult for businesses to manage a surge in queries. This often leads to slower response times, inadequate support, and poor customer experience.

For those at the start of the customer engagement lifecycle, a frustrating experience will discourage them from contacting you again. Meanwhile, existing customers further along the pipeline may feel let down by the inconsistency.

A call answering service provider understands that business and customer needs can change, and they’re experts at adapting to those fluctuations.

If you need more support, they’ll simply add more PAs to your team. This means no unanswered calls or long wait times – a perfect customer experience no matter how busy it gets.

Equally, during quiet periods, they’ll downsize your team to one or two PAs so you’re never over or under-resourced. This flexibility means you always have the level of support you and your customers need.

7. A cost-effective customer engagement solution

In-house employees are more expensive than outsourcing. You need to account for salaries, employer’s National Insurance contributions, benefits, bonuses, overtime, pension contributions, and even office space and equipment. These expenses can be costly, especially with employers’ National Insurance contributions increasing from 13.8% to 15% in April 2025.

However, with a call answering service, you only pay for what you need, making it a more cost-effective solution. Additionally, with our transparent prices, partnering with Bizik means you can plan ahead and focus on nurturing the customer engagement lifecycle without worrying about unexpected charges.

Thanks for reading

A call answering service enhances the entire customer engagement lifecycle. From making a fantastic first impression to delivering consistent, high-quality, personalised support, businesses can benefit significantly from this partnership.

If you want to improve your customer engagement lifecycle, look no further than Bizik. We’re the UK’s leading call answering and managed live chat provider, with the UK’s best customer care experts waiting to support your business.

Start your free trial today and find out for yourself. Alternatively, if you have any questions or would like a quote, speak to the Bizik Sales Team on 020 3917 7444.