Let's start by stating the obvious: no one likes to wait on hold. But no matter how hard you try, you're likely to put your customers on hold at some point. In fact, most customer interactions involve putting customers on hold.
We know from research that customers won't last much longer than 10 minutes on hold before boiling over in frustration. We also know from firsthand experience the boiling point may be much sooner if the hold music blaring through the receiver is horrifyingly annoying. Here are a few alternatives to the tragic customer hold music. May your dropped calls be few and your customers be satisfied.
1. Change it Up
Maybe music is your only option, but frankly, you shouldn't play the same 30-second riff over and over and over. Change it up by adding four or five songs to the playlist. With any luck, your customer won't even hear any of them twice before you have your answer and you're back on the line.
2. Sell (Carefully)
You can certainly use this captive audience as an opportunity to throw in a sales pitch. But be careful with this approach. Your customer could already be frustrated at waiting, and the last thing you want is for them to associate your product with frustration.
3. Attempt Humor
Telling a few jokes and keeping the mood light during hold recordings could stave off the anger and boredom. This is another area to be careful: you don't want the customer to feel like you're flippant about their business or simply distasteful. This may be a good option to employ along with other solutions.
Whatever you choose, make sure your customers are well-served by a unified communications system that doesn't disappoint. Contact us for more information.
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