The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
A recent infographic from alldayPA has revealed that Sunday calling has increased beyond every other day of the week. The statistics were collated over 2 years and could mark an end to the regular 9 to 5 7-day week. Business owners have been quick to point out what has influenced this trend, so where did Sunday calling come from?
Sunday was once a sacred day. It was a day to stay with family and visit church, but it wasn’t a day for trading.
Foundations began to shift when Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Government tried to introduce the Shop Bill in 1986. After a fierce backlash from back benchers and the Labour Party, the bill was scrapped, but the seed was planted.
Years later, another piece of legislation led the fight. The Sunday Trading Act of 1994 changed the way retailers and shoppers behaved. 14 years on, customer habits have been greatly influenced by this Sunday shopping freedom.
With the advent of social media, customers now expect an instant response from businesses. Social Habit found that 42% of internet users who contact a business via social media expect their query to be answered within the hour. The internet has no opening or closing times, so users have access to your business 24/7, are you going to stay up all night monitoring your Twitter timeline? Although you want to provide a good service to your customers, you also have to give yourself a break.
A study by Amdocs found that 80% of unresolved social media complaints result in phone calls. This could go some way to explain the flux of weekend calls. Whilst social media isn’t being manned by your staff, customers are reverting to the old fashioned, reliable telephone.
Customer demands are driving the way we run our businesses. The alldayPA stats show that midweek calls have dropped, meaning that customers no longer have time during the week to chase customer service advisers.
Would it be worth shuffling your employees’ working hours to have fewer people manning the phones during the week and more employees working on a weekend?
Whether you choose to expand your team, rework employee hours or outsource the workload, there’s no denying Sunday calling is making a big impact and it looks like it’s here to stay!
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More Customers Want To Contact Your Business On Sundays
It is quickly becoming second nature for consumers to contact businesses at the weekend.
The days when companies would only monitor their phones during traditional working hours on week days are coming to an end, as more peoples ant to make enquiries and complaints on Saturdays and Sundays.
Sunday Calling Is Now As Acceptable As Sunday Trading
The share of people making calls on Sundays has increased the most over the past two years, taking calls away from days in the middle of the week.
On our graph, any day above the line has gained overall share, whereas those below it have seen a decrease. To many, this was unthinkable just a few years ago, but we only have to look at the retail sector to see how Sunday trading has become the norm.
SUNDAYS HAVE SEEN THE BIGGEST INCREASE IN CALLS BEING MADE TO BUSINESSES. MUCH OF THIS GROWTH HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM A DECLINE IN THE MID-WEEK SHARE OF CALLS.
Days when calls are being made
GROWTH: MONDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY
DECLINE: TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY
LITTLE OR NO CHANGE: FRIDAY
SUNDAY TRADING ACT 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY THIS SUMMER The Sunday Trading Act came into effect in 1994. This changed the dynamic of the UK’s retail industry, allowing people to buy goods seven days a week.
£20.3 BILLION IN ECONOMIC BENEFITS
It is thought that a complete removal of Sunday trading restrictions would deliver economic benefits to the tune of £20.3 billion. This figure is constantly cited by lobbyists who want the law to be liberalized.
TRADE INCREASED BY 3.2% DURING THE 2012 OLYMPICS The government relaxed Sunday trading rules during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, which is said to have had a positive impact in sales.
Amazon.com Amazon announces Sunday delivery service Amazon confirmed at the start of 2014 that it would introduce Sunday delivery services in 7 UK cities – Milton Keynes, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Oxford, Nottingham, and Leeds.
Maintaining high standards of customer service has never been more important. alldayPA answer phone calls for business across the UK, ensuring you remain contactable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many companies don’t have the resources to do this themselves, which is why the services offered by alldayPA – whose friendly Pas answers 98.6% of your calls within 3 rings – are in such high demand.
![More Customers Want to Contact Your Business on Sundays [Infographic]](https://cdn.confessionsoftheprofessions.com/infographics/business-sundays-infographic.jpg)
