26 Leaders Share Strategies for Handling Customer Inquiries After Hours

Inc. Leadership Forum has compiled perspectives from 26 business leaders on how they manage customer inquiries after standard business hours. The collected strategies focus on establishing clear boundaries, utilizing smart systems, and applying human judgment to ensure customer support around the clock.

Many leaders highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in handling routine questions and routing inquiries, while others emphasized the importance of setting expectations in advance. For instance, Jamie Royce of MindCloud mentioned a 24/7 monitored Slack community channel and keeping a phone line open to ensure customer accessibility.

Esther Kiss from Born To Influence shared her approach of responding immediately to urgent or media-related inquiries outside of hours, deferring less critical matters to the next day. She stressed the importance of setting clear expectations with clients during onboarding, such as communicating via private Slack channels during work hours.

Dan Cosgrove of Better Benefits USA noted that the response depends on the client's importance and the nature of the query. Larger clients or urgent matters receive immediate attention, potentially via phone, while smaller questions are directed to the customer service team during regular hours. Liviu Tanase of ZeroBounce described their company's offering of 24/7 customer support since launch, viewing it as a significant differentiator, especially for clients operating across different time zones.

The report underscores that while technology enables constant connectivity, responsible customer service requires clear policies and flexibility. AI is seen as a tool to extend the human experience, not replace it, with its application requiring judgment, particularly for nuanced or relationship-building interactions.