How to Choose the Right Auto Attendant Recording Service?

Auto attendants are a phone system application that allow callers to select directory extensions using a voice menu. When designed properly, auto attendants help manage incoming calls and add a professional touch to phone interactions—but when poorly designed, they can be a significant annoyance for customers.

To clarify what counts as good auto attendant recording design, we show key survey findings below on how auto attendants impact consumer’s perceptions of businesses. We also cover in this post the positive impacts of a well designed auto attendant recordings, as well as the negative impacts of  poorly designed auto attendant menus, and tips on how to select the right professional auto attendant recording services company for your brand.

Recent Studies and Key Findings:

1. Auto attendant design is critical for customer retention: 42 percent of consumers surveyed say they’ll take their business elsewhere after a frustrating experience with an auto attendant.
2. Auto attendants have a significant impact on consumers’ first impressions of a business, as 48 percent of respondents say phone is their preferred method for contacting a business for the first time.
3. The top pain points reported with auto attendants are long introductions (29 percent) and too many options (28 percent), suggesting that businesses should strive for brevity and simplicity in greeting and menu design.
4. To avoid these pain points, SMBs should try to keep introductions under three seconds long (as does 58 percent of our sample) and menus shorter than five options (as does 59 percent).
5. Many SMBs are using auto attendants to replace receptionists during normal business hours to save money—a trend that is especially common in the property management, retail, banking and health care industries.

Perfectly Crafted Auto Attendants Improve the Caller Experience

Consumers hate being bogged down by tedious processes — especially over the phone. They want a fast and efficient phone service so they can move on with their days.

A survey sponsored by the Purdue Research Foundation found that 92 percent of consumers report that their call experience influences their image of a company; moreover, it was demonstrated that customer satisfaction is positively linked with a company’s ability to address the caller’s issues on the first call.

Using professional auto attendant greetings  is one way to make sure that the customer service experience is a positive one. It helps connect customers with the right person or department, avoiding unnecessarily long calls and multiple transfers between departments. Many routine issues or common questions can be dealt with by the auto attendant, thus by making consumers happier.

Poorly Designed Auto Attendants Scare Away Customers

When it comes to poor caller experiences, the two top pain points are waiting on hold, and frustrating, hard to navigate automated phone menus ad ivr systems.

A bad auto attendant experience can undermine customer loyalty:  consumers say they’ll take their business elsewhere if they have trouble using a company’s phone directory. Auto attendant menus shouldn’t branch extensively (i.e., there shouldn’t be numerous submenus branching off from the main menu).

The vast majority (93 percent) of auto attendant menus are often under one minute in length. Increasing the length of your menu above this average by including more options may alienate those callers for whom not finding the desired option near the beginning of the menu which is a major pain point.

Set the Tone by Choosing the Right Auto Attendant Recording Service

We’ve seen that auto attendant design can make or break a customer’s phone interaction with a brand. This means that overall customer satisfaction greatly depends on the quality and consistency of a company’s telephone service.

Therefore, you want to set the tone you want with professional  auto attendant recording services. Every business should have one, but few know how to go about picking the best one. Whether you have a precise vision, general idea, you’re new to the game or have no clue about what to expect when it comes to creating great sounding auto attendant and ivr recordings, then you should seek the help of a professional recording services company, so so you can find the right sound for your business.

If you’re ready to drop the amateur sound of our business, and want to improve the customer experience and loyalty with professional auto attendant recordings, then contact Original On Hold for a no-obligation consultation today!