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When callers contact your business, what exactly is it that they’re greeted with? Do you have hold music and, if so, is it modern or outdated? Do you have an automated attendant or recorded messages with business information? Have you even given these things much thought? A surprising number of business owners don’t take the setup of phone menus and greetings seriously enough. They simply view it as an additional admin task, rather than the key element of their service that it ought to be. However, if you want to attract younger customers, in particular, it’s time that you took the caller experience more seriously.

Research shows that millennials – typically aged between 16-35 – have much higher expectations when it comes to the quality of the service that they receive when they call a business. As this generation is entering the marketplace, they are forcing us to reconsider that way that we conduct our business, or risk alienating an important share of the market.

The younger consumer, research has found, has specific expectations of the service they ought to receive when they make a phone call to a company. They expect their interactions with an agent to be quick, efficient and productive. They expect your technology to function effectively and will quickly become frustrated if automated menus do not function as expected or lead them nowhere. Take a look at our top tips for optimising your office phone system to attract the younger generation…

Set your outbound caller ID

The younger generation are generally resistant to answering calls from unknown numbers. In recent years, we have seen a huge rise in the number of nuisance calls and young people, in particular, feel as though they don’t have time to answer calls from numbers that they don’t recognise.

Set up an effective automated attendant with intelligent call routing

The younger generation appreciates technology and expects it to work effectively and in such a way that makes things more convenient. They don’t like to waste their time. Make sure that you have an automated attendant set up and that it functions well. Implement intelligent call routing to direct callers to the person or department that is best placed to resolve their query at the first point of contact. If the young caller feels as though their call has been handled efficiently, they will be much more likely to deal with your company again.

Integrate your phone system with your CRM

The younger generation does not have the patience to wait for extended periods while an agent tries to find their details. The speed at which you retrieve account information is vital to ensuring a positive caller experience. Make sure that your CRM is integrated with your phone system to promote a faster, more efficient service.

Greet callers with fresh and relevant messages

When a young caller is greeted by an automated attendant, it’s important to them that the message is fresh and relevant as this will often be the first impression of your company or brand. The initial welcome message should be clear, friendly and representative of your brand. The queue and menu settings should be kept up-to-date and provide options for call backs or to leave a voicemail – remember, the younger caller does not like to waste their time! Also, make sure that, if you have hold music, that it is clear and modern.

Integrate business mobiles

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, younger consumers do not like to be kept waiting. By integrating mobile devices with your main office phone system and taking advantage of features such as simultaneous ringing, you can ensure that all calls are answered as quickly as possible, whether this is by workers out in the filed or those in the office.

Implement Unified Communications

The younger generation has embraced modern technology more than any other and is used to communicating across a wide variety of platforms. By investing in Unified Communications software, you can demonstrate to younger callers that you are at the forefront of communications technology. Unified Communications technology integrates a whole range of communications platforms into a single place, making it easy to provide multiple avenues for communication. The younger customer will appreciate being able to contact your business via their chosen method, whether this is social media, email, instant messenger, phone, web chat or any other medium.

Regularly review the caller experience

Remember, the younger generation is not impressed with a service that has outdated and ineffective elements to it. They are used to a fast-paced lifestyle and expect you to keep up. Regularly review the caller experience to make sure that everything is kept up to date and consider implementing newer technologies as they emerge.

Outdated office phone systems may not be capable of being optimised effectively to attract younger customers. If this demographic is important to your business, however, then it might be time to invest in a more modern phone system. By upgrading your phone system, you can ensure that you’re not missing out on an important customer base. For further information about office phone systems in Birmingham and the West Midlands, contact us at Midland Networks today.