Are your customers tired of waiting?
Most businesses aim to answer a call within 20 seconds of it ringing. However, a recent study recorded the average time a caller waited on hold, which was 56 seconds. Small companies had the longest average hold time of 1 minute, 47 seconds, while customers of larger companies averaged a minute less on hold. This statistic may be because smaller companies often have a tighter budget and cannot afford as many staff to answer the phones simultaneously. Customers are also likely to be more understanding to smaller businesses. How do your hold times compare?
15% of callers tend to hang up at approximately 40 seconds of holding. This is a crucial statistic because if you exceed this time, you could lose a sale or reduce your customer satisfaction and, therefore, damage your business reputation.
If your business struggles with keeping time on hold to a minimum, there are several solutions that will help to reduce this time and ensure customers are happy…
Automated attendant
An automated attendant is favoured by callers because of its instant response. It also provides options including transferring to voicemail to leave a message. Also, it can provide an extension, ensuring that you reach the right department. Some automated attendants are set up with lots of options that provide the customer with autonomy. This is helpful to customer satisfaction because it ensures that the customer feels that they are being proactive, rather than waiting and reflecting on how long they have been on hold.
Automatic call distribution
ACD systems are popular in offices that have a high level of inbound calls. This invaluable system helps strong customer service to be maintained by distributing incoming calls to contact centre agents or skilled specialists. This is a fantastic system because it guarantees that the time on hold is significantly reduced. It also allows customers to speak with a person as opposed to listening to an automated voice, which will help customer satisfaction.
Customer Intelligence (CI)
This is the process by which information is gathered. Customers’ details and activities are gathered and analysed so that you can create stronger and more intuitive customer relationships. This also helps to improve strategic decision making because you will have access to relevant and insightful information that will inform your business ideas. Being aware of the average demographic of your customers and recording their behaviour and experiences will improve Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Call Management Software
Technology has allowed us to collect significant customer insights by using highly advanced call management software. Information about customer interaction and business, automate sales, customer support and marketing is recorded and accessible. Employee, partner and vendor relationships are also managed using call management software. These systems are varied and there is one suitable for any sized business. Call management software is very customisable and can monitor specific insights that you personally require to understand your business better. It does this by utilising an analytical engine to identify business opportunities, streamline operations and provide a tailored customer service informed by customers’ previous transactions.
Call recording
Call recording is often used to monitor the communication between staff and clients. This is integral to business success because this brief transaction may give the customer an immediate impression of the company and you need it to be good. Call recording helps to improve call handling techniques by identifying issues and using records as a training aid for new employees.
Keep your staff happy
If staff are feeling well cared for at work, they are more likely to want to excel in their roles. You can keep staff morale high by ensuring that they have regular breaks and are well fed and watered so that they can maintain concentration. It is also important to praise staff when they do well so that they know you are monitoring their progress and appreciate their efforts. Staff incentives such as “Employee of the Month” and team-building days can also foster an upbeat working environment. It is important to maintain a happy workforce so that the staff’s positive manner is reflected in their transactions with customers.
There are many viable and cost-effect solutions that will help keep time on hold to a minimum. Identify this goal to your staff so that they are mindful of answering calls quickly and effectively. Lastly, remember that an energised and enthusiastic attitude is infectious and will go a long way towards making your customers feel special and valued.