How IVR & On-Hold Messaging Can Improve Customer Service
In business, first impressions are everything and how your company manages in-bound calls can determine the relationship you form with your customers.
In the disaster restoration industry, the urgent nature of the calls you receive make the need for an effective yet sensitive solution all the more important. Although your staff work quickly to attend to callers during a stressful situation, wait time is inevitable.
One of the most straightforward, cost-effective ways to meet callers needs and manage high call volumes is a proper in-bound call strategy that includes both an automated answering service and on hold messages.
“I think it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity to get a message out to my customers,” says Jim Parker, president of Parker DKI in Windsor, Ontario.
So how do these audio recordings improve the caller experience and benefit both the business and the customer?
Clear, Consistent Greetings
An IVR auto attendant recording guarantees a consistently clear and professional caller experience. It eliminates the possibility of employees answering the phones in a negative or distracted fashion which can leave the caller with a poor first impression.
Having the phones answered by an auto attendant can guarantee that EVERY caller hears the most important message you wish to convey and that they reach their desired extension in the most timely, efficient manner. Furthermore, automated call routing reduces the stress and time commitment of employees, leaving them with the freedom to focus on vital tasks.
Connect with Callers, Maximize Wait Time
When a widespread catastrophe occurs, the disaster cleanup industry can get busy fast. Telephones will be ringing off the hook which promises the need to put customers on hold. In these instances, it is important to connect with your callers and keep them on the line until you can assist them.
An on-hold messaging service (custom produced messages with professional voiceover and music), has been proven to lessen perceived wait time and allows you to showcase your company’s services and achievements.
“We offer many services and I’ve found that a message on-hold offers a unique way to expose our business to new clients and tell them who we are, what we do, and how we can help.” says Parker.
Message on-hold recordings help to put callers in distress at ease, inform them of what to expect in a disaster situation, and direct them as to what information to have ready when their call is picked back up.
“It’s important to have a message playing while clients wait on-hold. We don’t want them to feel like they’ve been abandoned, so it’s our way of reassuring them we are doing all we can to assist them.”
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re dealing with answering the phone or hold time, it should all be geared towards improving your call handling structure to support and enhance the Caller Experience.
By choosing the right tone and pertinent information, you can give value and comfort to your callers while strengthening your brand.
DKI Canada Preferred Supplier
For the past 14 years, HPC has been supplying on-hold messaging and IVR Auto Attendant Greetings to DKI members across North America. CONTACT US to discuss your needs!
