Customers call your hotline because they want help or answers, not another headache. So your on-hold message should be pleasant to their ears. If you fail to select an appropriate message, your customers' anger and frustration might double, making them more difficult to satisfy. If you use internet-based phones (VoIP), here are some tips to soothe your customers.
On-hold messages are your customers’ first point of contact with your business when they need help, so your messages should be professionally recorded. You may be tempted to have an in-house production because it will initially cost less than hiring a professional voice talent and renting a studio, but in the long run, professionally recorded messages in your company’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems will be more beneficial.
Voice talents have the skills and equipment to give your phone system that professional, friendly, and pleasant feel. If you want to sound sincere about helping your customers with their issues, invest in professionally recorded on-hold messages.
Another strategy to keep customers from hanging up while they're on hold is putting on music while they’re waiting. The trick for keeping callers calm is picking the right music. You might think that your choice of music is a minute detail, but it can make or break whether customers decide to leave or stay. You need to find a balance between engaging and relaxing, which is much easier when you have the power to pick or change tunes in just a few minutes. Cloud-based phone systems allow you to do exactly this by letting you test out different tunes.
Not everyone who calls your customer service hotline has a problem. Sometimes, people just need a piece of information. Use your IVRs to help callers find non-critical, frequently asked information such as business operating hours, special offers, and minor account updates. You can also deploy a more complicated system that redirects customers to specific concerns, like account management and payment instructions. This frees customer service representatives to take care of issues that need actual human interactions, like walkthroughs and policy misunderstandings.
According to a study, 83% of customers prefer human interaction over automated channels when solving customer service issues. Your automated recordings may lessen customers’ agitation or frustration, but nothing beats talking to a real person. Always provide an immediate option to talk to a customer service representative in your IVR. Most companies dedicate a particular number during calls to be connected to a real person who can help them with their concerns.This shows that you are serious in addressing your customers’ problems.
There are so many ways a VoIP system can help your business reach new heights. Our team of trained technicians can install affordable, cutting-edge phone solutions that are easy to use. Give us a call today to learn more.