Professional Auto Attendant Recording Best Practices Guide
A recent study from the Contact Center Association shows that 72% of consumers still prefer the telephone when contacting businesses. Yes, even in this hi-tech day in age, the good old-fashioned telephone is the preferred method of contacting a business. There are many business benefits associated with an auto attendant when designed properly. These can translate into improved customer satisfaction.
A well designed system with professional auto attendant recordings help to manage incoming calls. It also adds a professional touch to phone interactions. Unfortunately, many businesses use this tool the wrong way. This leads to mismanagement of a crucial customer touch point.
A well-designed auto attendant provides for efficient call handling and improved customer satisfaction. On the other end, a poorly designed auto attendant can significantly impact your business by being an annoyance to customers. Frustrated and dissatisfied customers can negatively impact your business, as well as customer loyalty.
% Of Lost Customers Due to Bad Caller Experiences:
Researchers at Purdue University found that 92% of customers form their images of a company based on their experiences with initial telephone auto attendant and IVR systems. A consumer survey by software device shows that 42% of consumers will take their business elsewhere due to a poor automated phone attendant experience.
The bottom line is — you simply can’t afford to get this interaction wrong. In order to get the most out of your auto attendant, you must get the implementation process right. Luckily for you, we have produced tens of thousands of auto attendant recordings for brands worldwide and are here to help!
Below are our top 6 tips for auto attendant best practices.
Tip #5. Make sure that if you have a change in business hours (or will be closed) during a holiday to include that information in your announcement and let callers know. There’s nothing more frustrating than calling a business to find out they’ve closed earlier than normal or aren’t even going to be open.
Tip #6. Unless you’re a big corporation who may constantly be adding departments or staff managers, then your auto attendant announcements typically aren’t going to change often. So you’re not fooling anyone with the statement: “Please listen closely as our menu options have recently changed.” In fact, your regulars will soon become annoyed when they hear that and know nothing has changed. It also leaves them questioning how much you may care about your brand. If you don’t care enough to change the greeting, then how can you possibly care about their needs?
If you’re adding an automated phone attendant at your business, then use this best practices guide to design your auto attendant recordings to ensure customer contact experiences are more efficient, provide a great customer experience, and make a great first impression.
If you’re already using an auto attendant at your business then here’s a few questions: Have you ever called your own company to see what the telephone customer experience is like? Is it satisfying for the customer? Does it sound professional? Is the menu easy to navigate? You may be surprised at what you discover.
