Did you know that many businesses lose customers every day through the simple act of putting callers on hold to listen to silence, radio static, a repetitive beep or a tuneless melody? The pressure has never been higher for businesses to be at the top of their game…every day.
On-Hold Marketing can help you retain callers and your company’s reputation!
Acquiring and retaining customers, and doing this better than the competition, is no small challenge. In fact, the effort generally costs a large chunk of the budget and many hours of time. Studies show that one of the fastest ways to lose a customer is through a poor call experience. Consumer expectations are extremely high these days and the competition is often only a click away. So if they experience just one unpleasant phone call, they may not only take their business elsewhere, they could post a negative review as well.
So, you might say, “instead of putting customers on-hold, why not channel them to the self-service option of the internet? Not only is it low cost, but customers also love the 24/7 access to instant information”.
But what happens when a customer “hits a wall” with self-service and needs to escalate to a phone call? A live person conversation is the most preferred channel for except maybe a “Simple Inquiry”. But, having the requested information immediately on hand, and sufficient trained staff available at all times, especially during peak times, can be a challenge in more ways than cost-effectiveness.
When callers are bored or annoyed they lose patience quickly and hang-up. Each abandoned call is a bad memory for that customer. It may be the final straw that sends them to a competitor. Or even worse, when a caller is frustrated, the risk is not only to that relationship but to the company’s online reputation as well. Social media has empowered customers to publicly vent with minimal effort. Unfortunately, the effect of a single negative experience can drag down a company’s brand for months.
The Solution: ON-HOLD MARKETING
A cost-effective solution to improving this source of customer dissatisfaction is an efficient greeting menu to direct callers. And, when you need to put the caller on-hold, a professional and entertaining marketing message.
A great on-hold message can go a long way towards reducing caller abandonment. It improves caller experience by making hold time seem that much shorter. Increase your chances of retaining even a frustrated customer with On-Hold Marketing. And, an unexpected or impulse sale resulting from your marketing messages can be an added bonus that improves your bottom line as well as customer satisfaction! www.onhold.on.ca/contact
“The customer’s perception is your reality.” – Kate Zabriskie