Small businesses are vital to our communities because they provide incredible products and services with a more personal touch. Many small businesses are looking for ways to ramp up their customer base, but they aren't sure they can handle an increased volume with their current staff load.

There are several ways to deal with higher volumes of customer inquiries, such as outsourcing customer support or getting a toll-free phone number, but many business owners worry that it will cost them too much to get started. Check out three affordable communication options for small businesses below! 

1. Business Phone Number

Business phone numbers have been around for decades now, and they provide a sense of trust among customers. It used to cost a small fortune to get a business phone number for small companies, but now there are some free business phone numbers offered by quality companies.

Small businesses with their own phone line, instead of an employee's cell phone number, seem more official, and customers appreciate the opportunity to speak with a real person. Depending upon the size of the business, a business number may connect directly to a person, or it may guide a customer through a series of questions to find the right agent for them to speak with. 

2. Live Chat

Some customers prefer to speak with a customer support agent via online chat. This allows them to type out their questions and get written responses quickly. Agents are still required for live chat to work, and customers enjoy this option because it connects them with a real person, but they can write out their responses instead of talking them out. 

3. AI Support Bots

Support bots that use artificial intelligence appear to be the way of the future. These support bots are similar to live chat, but they don't require an agent to do the responses. This is a great option for businesses who get huge volumes of emails, voicemails, or chats with many of the same questions that can easily be answered automatically. 

AI support bots may be able to answer a customer's inquiry on their own, like looking up the shipping status of a product using the tracking number, reporting business hours, or giving directions, or it can forward a more advanced question to an agent during normal business hours. 

Many businesses find that it's helpful to have a mix of two or all three of the above communication options to give customers a choice about how they can get the help they need. Having open communication channels can help build a sense of trust with customers and keep them coming back again and again.