Elevating Customer Service at Your Brand by Investing in a Telephone On Hold Messaging System
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the average business loses 15% of their clients on an annual basis. While it’s safe to assume some customers simply move away, the hard truth is many simply just stop coming back. This is because you haven’t nurtured relationships with those clients, which in turn causes them to feel no loyalty or obligation to return.In another post on this blog, we discuss how customer loyalty is at an all-time low. You can either accept that, or do something about it. One way to do something about it is to “Rethink incoming calls!”
Today, customers experience your company in various ways—your website, your emails, and face-to-face encounters, but even with advancements in technology, the number one way consumers prefer to connect with brands is via the telephone. Yes, you heard correct – good old-fashioned phone conversation is still the preferred method for interacting with your company, as nothing beats human interaction. Customers expect a top notch customer service experience not matter where or how they interact with your brand, so hopefully you’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure a great “caller experience” by deploying a professional telephone music on hold system at your business.
Whether your business is online or offline, and since data tells us that the telephone is still the most preferred method of interaction, let me ask. What are you doing to assure a great on-hold customer experience? Do you make callers feel ignored with silence? Is canned music really doing anything to improve the caller on-hold experience at your business? How would you feel if you have radio on-hold, and your caller hears a competitor’s ad and chooses them instead? Do you really think generic statements like “your call is important to us” do anything to aid in fostering long-term client relationships? The answer is a resounding NO!
Long hold times, coupled with poor caller experiences make customers feel unappreciated. The good news is that there are ways to put customers on hold without frustrating them or losing their business. A well-strategized on hold marketing message can give your brand a big boost in the customer service and relations at your business. Sure, when crafting an on hold script example you want to market to callers on hold, but often times it’s not just about marketing, but about keeping customers on hold happy, and nurturing them until you are available to take care of their requests, which makes all the difference between a happy customer and one that is lost for good.
In order to thrive in business, it’s important to make each client feel important. If they have a negative feeling–or are even indifferent to your business–they won’t feel obligated to continue doing business with you. Providing customer service starts with a genuine desire to delight your customers, but you also have to think beyond selling your product or service. Excellent customer service can create loyal customers for life who become raving fans, and are willing to refer your business to friends, family, and colleagues. Something many brands have simply forgotten about.
Any intelligent business owner knows that it cost less to sell an existing customer than it does to attract new ones. However, trying to “win-back” a lost customer due to poor customer service can be one of the most costly ventures for any business. It’s essential to provide quality customer experiences throughout the customer’s lifecycle—not just at the acquisition stage. By employing professional on hold music and messages, you’re able to reassure that customers know they are valued, it helps in making them feel significant, and above all cared for. Stop thinking of customer service as an expense and consider it an investment!
