While Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is helping call centers prevent waiting times, some businesses have yet to install those systems. And those that don’t have VoIP are going to have days when their call centers are overwhelmed with calls and not enough call center agents available to answer. That means placing customers on hold longer than they or you want. But your business should plan for days like this by utilizing various features that can persuade the customer to not hang up.
Some of those ideas work on levels that far too many businesses still don’t adhere to.
Think About the Quality of Music You Play
It seems music is most commonly played when placing someone on hold. While businesses sometimes use Muzak, the type of music you play can be a true annoyance to customers. If you play the same song over and over again, it can especially fray the customer’s nerves. For long waits, create a playlist of different songs, whether canned or not. Sometimes just playing a feed from a local radio station helps.
Should you choose a playlist, try picking a variety of songs from different eras to please every demographic. Not everyone will love hearing nothing but smooth jazz or more recent Top 40 hits for over 15 minutes.
Avoid Repeating Voice Messages
You still hear companies that use the same virtual voice message of how “important your call is to us.” After 20 minutes or more, a message like this can become grating to a customer and persuade them to hang up. There has to be some variances to those messages that you can program in advance.
If the wait goes on past 20 minutes, the message should point out that the lines are overly busy and provide an option to leave a voice message. Leaving messages is always a reasonable option for busy call centers, even though you have to make sure a call center rep calls the person back later in the same day.
Relay Educative Information
To break up the monotony of music, break in every so often with virtual messages that pass on useful information the customer can use. Even if it’s promoting other services, telling about what more you offer and how it can change someone’s life will keep the customer engaged on the phone for a bit longer. In fact, you can give the customer options on how to solve their particular problem without waiting for a customer service rep to answer. Sometimes an FAQ on your website or a mobile app can be read to find an answer. Regardless, it seems most customers frequently have more complex questions that need answering.
Finding the Balance Between Talk and Music
There’s no real exact science behind the balance between how much music to play and when to use a virtual voice. It’s still amazing, though, how many businesses still use strictly one or the other without mixing it up. In the age of no patience when it comes to waiting, your business basically has to be an astute phone entertainer to prevent customers from going somewhere else in the blink of an eye.
References:
http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/Analysis/articles/354913-ensuring-that-customer-hold-doesnt-become-an-ex.htm