A customer (new or old) calls a large and busy contact centre with a query – The clock is ticking, they want to cross this task off their ‘ to do’ list quickly, then all of a sudden, they’re aware of the length of time they have been holding and no longer want to wait to speak to anyone for various reasons. They might have been addled by the menu of options and switched off from listening to them. Whatever the problem the caller has faced, they have aborted the call, which has resulted in a mediocre experience. All businesses want to excite and delight their clients; they want their customer to have a fulfilling customer service experience with the objective of reducing call wait times. As such, it’s imperative that you’re marketing, and IT teams work together to ensure that message content and call flows are planned and executed effectively. Resulting in very happy clients on the other end of the line.
Here are some top tips from McGirvanmedia for an effective experience:
- Hearing a warm and friendly voice, along with music to suit your business and branding will immediately put the caller at ease. No one wants to struggle with phone generated music for longer 10 seconds, that’s why it’s better to have clear concise content which will tell the customer who you are as a business and that information backed with a suitable music track will be much more enjoyable to listen to and is more effective during peak call wait times.
- Voice telephony should always be user-friendly, informative, and efficient. We suggest a friendly welcome message, followed by a menu of options to direct your caller to the right area, and would determine the type of query they have or the department they need to speak to. The more queues you have, the less of a bottleneck there will be with any call flow.
- Many Contact Centres work with the objective to try and reduce the length of a phone conversation by collecting the appropriate data and information BEFORE the caller is connected to an agent. With informative recorded voice announcements in place, as well as prompting the caller to insert their client number and/or phone number as well as what they are calling to discuss, allows the agent to have everything at hand as soon as the call is connected.
- Another option is to keep the call queues clear of any time-consuming enquiries by redirecting callers to use online chats, visit the website for common FAQs, or send an email directly to customer service. Conveying interesting information while a caller sits on hold can be achieved through a message on hold production, (marketing messages) which will also play in-queue. No more of the silent treatment when on hold!
- There are so many sophisticated features these days e.g. prompting the caller that there is a ‘3 minute’ wait time or they are the ‘third caller in queue’. Another popular feature is Virtual Hold, providing the option for a call back when it’s their turn in the queue, so they will never lose their spot. For smaller entities, it can be as simple as redirecting the call to voicemail when there is a maximum number of calls already in queue.
McGirvanmedia Audio Solutions is the largest message on hold and audio solutions company on the east coast and have been in business for over 30 years! We work and partner closely with some of the busiest Contact Centres and companies in Australia and around the Globe. We’re all about connecting callers and building brands for all types of businesses every day. We know all there is to know about improving the customer experience. We have flexible solutions for large, small, and medium sized businesses and we will tailor a message on hold and IVR solution to suit you. Fast turn-around for all audio productions in any WAV file format MP3 file compatible with your phone system. Call us today on 1800 777 428 for a chat or you can email enquiries@mcgirvanmedia.com.au and we will come back to you ASAP.
