Think about the great customer service experiences you have had with a company. How does that make you feel about that company? About continuing to do business with them? About raving about them to your friends and acquaintances? You can be sure that these companies have taken great care in establishing effective business processes to ensure a great customer experience.
We recently polled 100 people about the positive and negative affects of their customer experiences. More than 70% stated they would either never do business with a particular company again, or have no loyalty to that particular company.
Here is one example that stood out.
“I will NEVER buy another product from them. I would never want to go through this scenario again. Not only was the item I purchased defective, but they showed no interest in correcting the issue, and to fuel the fire when I would call to speak with their customer service department I would be left waiting “on hold” for what seemed to be an endless amount of time making me even more frustrated. This company not only lost MY business, I have passed my story on to many of my friends, and they too will never buy from the XYZ Company”.
So, does the customer experience process really matter? YOU BET IT DOES! This person’s dissatisfaction clearly demonstrates that the firm took a hit on two levels — reputation and bottom line revenues. Even one bad customer experience is too much, especially with fewer sales opportunities in play in today’s market. Technology use to mean Automation…automation used to eliminate people from a business process. Reducing resources (people involved in the business process) and “doing more with less”. But today, technology should mean more effective resources to improve the customer experience. One low-cost technology that can help get the job done is on hold messages, and it’s proven to be essential for any business looking to retain precious customers.
Let’s dissect the customer experience. It is made up primarily of three parts.
1. How the customer was treated.
2. Quality of the product or service offered.
3. Perception of the comany's brand.
This is the very reason why your business needs professional on hold messages. Yes, we often point out the “selling” benefits of using on hold marketing, but it’s important to point out that on hold messages have many other positive characteristics when it comes to shaping customers perception of your brand. On Hold messaging has proven to reduce callers perceived hold time versus waiting in silence or music. On Hold messages also lend a hand in causing callers to be less agitated, especially if they are calling with a complaint and have to wait for an extended period on hold which can make the situation worse.
Does this company know how many other customers may have had a similar bad experience? Whether obvious or subtle, there is a cost to dysfunctional processes. Have you ever asked someone, “Why are you doing that?” and they answered — “because we have always done it this way.” Cultural change and the mindset of “we’ve always done it this way” are often among the most difficult obstacles to overcome yet can be costly for to your business. What steps are you taking to ensure a positive customer experience? One simple step in the process -- adding a professional music on hold and message system.