December, 7 2010
Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and wait! That’s right, let’s digest the holiday season “hold” experience. While ‘tis the season to be jolly, it's also about waiting, and waiting, and more waiting. How long is too long to be on hold, and what can you do to ensure a better customer hold experience? The first step when seeking to improve the customer on hold experience is to remove negative emotions such as feeling stressed, neglected or frustrated. These can destroy loyalty and bear a significant financial cost to the organization. This is where custom on hold message programming can provide a tremendous boost for your business and the customer on hold experience.
“Callers presented with On Hold Messaging versus silence or radio commercials are more likely exhibit interest in the product advertised, more likely to retain information and be less agitated”
- Jefferson Denneandrus Research Firm
AT&T states that 70% of all calls are placed on hold. Let’s look at the on hold statistics when it comes to the various hold options you can make available for your callers:
1. 50% of callers who wait in silence hang-up
2. 34% of those will never call back
3. 88% of callers prefer on hold messages vs other hold alternatives (ie:silence,music)
4. 20% of callers make a purchasing decision based upon information on hold
5. Callers will hold up to 3 times longer when hearing music on hold messages
It is important to remember that the brand of an organization is purely and simply the sum-total of all customer experiences served-up. The brand is the experience. Word of mouth is powerful, and we all know that bad experiences travel faster and wider than good ones - particularly with advent of today's social media networks. Don’t leave customers feeling left out in the cold, frustrated and demanding they’re deserve more. Particularly in a challenging economy, where customers shop harder for value and competition is fierce, showing a demonstrable commitment to the customer through sharper marketing and personalized service can reap significant dividends.