It is that time of year again. Back to school supplies have popped up on store shelves, and that can only mean one thing, summer is soon coming to an end. What that means for your workplace is the holidays are over, and it is time to get back to business. Once school starts and the days progressively get shorter, marketing plans change to accommodate the back to business atmosphere that post Labour Day brings. Now is the perfect time to implement changes to your marketing plan and operations and it is imperative to get things moving on the right foot. Changing your telephone media so that callers know what is happening is of paramount importance!
Here is a checklist of the important things you should be discussing with our scriptwriters, so when it is “back to work” from the Labour Day holiday, your On-Hold message will be tuned up and synchronized with everything happening at your business!
1. After Summer Hours
Let clients know if your hours have shifted from summer to fall so they know when they can get the services they need. Are you extending a certain department’s hours into the evenings or providing weekend service for your client’s convenience? Inform your clients when you are open and ready to help them!
2. Online Ordering and Scheduling
Things just got a lot busier. With kids back to school and everyone having to juggle their time, inform callers of your online services that will help make life easier and more efficient! Let your clients know the pages on your website where online booking or ordering services reside, and walk them through how easy it is to use them. This will not only benefit their customer experience, it will also drive more traffic to your website! This is a real game changer.
3. Fall Promotions and Services
The change of seasons bring different needs and challenges for every person. Is it time to think about changing tires, closing a pool, getting summer equipment prepared for winter storage, or a quarterly maintenance service that will ensure things run smoothly all year long? Let your On-Hold message be the all important “string on their finger” to remind callers of all the tasks they need to complete going into the new season, as well as transition smoothly from the last one.
4. Introduce Your New Staff (Or Re-Introduce Your Current Stars)
Your staff is the heart of your business and nothing makes a connection to old and new clients more than personal touch. Going ”where everybody knows your name”, as the song says, works both ways with your new and seasoned team members. As well, if a person on your team is an industry expert, inform your customers, so they know they are getting top-notch service that differentiates you from the competition. When callers ask for your staff by name it will familiarize them with your business and in turn, draw them closer to the team or family atmosphere that you want to project.
5. Say Thank You
After these unprecedented times, customer loyalty is one of the most important things a client can give your business. When people consistently return, vote for you in customer polls, and provide you with good reviews it is a gigantic reflection of the great service you have provided them. They deserve your thanks and appreciation, and this appreciation will continue the good-will cycle. Now more than ever, your On-Hold message needs a “We appreciate your patronage” paragraph that includes all the reasons why.
Sure, summer is coming to a close, but that only means that there is a bigger, better season on the horizon. As we continue to move forward, the Pandemic’s impact on us begins to fade. Let On-Hold Marketing work with you to produce a new message informing your callers about everything happening this fall at your business. Our scriptwriters will work with you to create the perfect fall production including these points in the checklist, and anything else that is important to you. Keep your post Labour Day callers informed, educated and feeling appreciated. It will be our pleasure to help you get this season off to the best start!
“Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”―
