Customer experience is a buzz term for every modern business – definitively, the customer’s holistic perception of a company. Different to just customer service, this is about more than what happens when they speak with a representative. When done right, the results yield everything a business needs – increased loyalty, repeat custom and positive online reviews. Done wrong however, it puts success at real risk.

Service is clearly key to customer experience, but beyond this, many businesses may think that strengthening it is merely image-based. But sight isn’t the only path to perception. Below, we’ve helped to pinpoint 5 crucial ways that on hold messaging is an essential part of the customer experience journey!

As you’ll discover below, it’s so important for your business to not just be seen, but heard!

1. Sound Creates Lasting Memories

We all know once we get a song into our head it can be difficult to forget, and the phenomenon behind this is echoic memory. This specifically registers auditory information, storing sounds so they can be processed and understood. When a sound enters this part of the brain, it’s retained for 3-4 seconds – which doesn’t sound like very long. However, it’s an age compared to iconic memory, which stores images for just one second. And this is why audio is all the more likely to be remembered.

Incorporate sound at key points in the customer journey – whether it’s through music, voice message or complete audio productions – and you’ll deliver an experience that will remain with the customer for longer, and make them more likely to return.

2. Audio Connects with Callers Emotionally

When we make buying decisions, we don’t always do it with our head – our hearts have a say too. And arguably, nothing has greater power to influence our emotions than music: a proven mood-booster. The right track is a valuable opportunity to positively influence the customer’s experience, and even their buying decisions.

So what is the right track? With customer perception at stake, it won’t do to hit shuffle and play whatever comes up. This piece needs to perfectly represent business’ identity – and the best way of doing this is with a piece crafted exclusively to the company. Not only will it deftly capture what makes a business unique, it comes with no preconceptions – so there’s no risk of a listener associating it with a memory they’d rather forget.

3. Voice is a Powerful Brand Asset.

Traditionally, we think of brand assets as features like logos or specific colors – but non-visual elements have even greater ability to assert identity, particularly voice. Whether it’s deep and commanding or bright and conversational, the qualities of voice directly correlate with perception of personality.

There have never been more opportunities for brands to harness the power of voice. Yet the channel where this can make perhaps the biggest difference is more traditional: the caller experience.

Using a professional voice artist is an effective option – callers hear the warmth and human side of a real person, along with a finesse that simply can’t be achieved by asking a member of the office team to do the recording.

4. The Telephone is Still Key for Contacting  Businesses.

Even with the availability of email, instant messaging and social media, the telephone still endures as one of the most effective ways to get in touch with a company.

What this statistic proves, is that the caller experience is vital to the overall customer experience – so businesses must take essential steps to perfect it. This includes the routing – ensuring every inquiry is connected to the right individual efficiently – and everything they hear along the way. The caller experience is a prime medium in which to introduce audio content that engages, informs, and projects the very best impression of a brand – heightening the overall professionalism and perception for the customer on the other end of the line.

5. Combat Common Caller Frustrations.

As identified above, the caller experience is the ideal channel in which to introduce audio content, and doing so works to combat these two biggest customer complaints.

On hold messages strategically deployed during hold or transfer time, or before a caller has even been connected, represent a valuable opportunity to inform customers of information they’ll find valuable – online resources, answers to FAQs, news of helpful products or services, or information on what they’ll need to have ready for their query to be effectively handled. And with this engaging audio content playing instead of dead air or jingles, the perceived waiting time is all the shorter.

Final Thoughts…

What is your caller’s journey like? Does your phone experience create the best impression of your business?It’s clear to hear that incorporating audio into your working practices is a highly effective way to enhance the customer experience – particularly within the vital caller experience.

Ready to improve the caller experience at your brand? Contact Original On Hold and we can help you get on your way!

On the fence? Then take us for a test drive with our risk free custom on hold demo trial offer.