A quick Twitter search turns up countless complaints about the amount of time people are forced to wait “on hold.” Here are just a few examples:
nancia: I’ve been on hold for 11 minutes. It feels like 11 days. 10 minutes ago from web
jordangreen: Bloody useless 360 support line! Never even got to speak to anyone. was on hold for 15 mins!!! 24 minutes ago from Tweetie
Theworkingdad: i really hate being on hold for godaddy support for 10+ minutes… 31 minutes ago from TweetDeck
jgoorchenko: Back on hold with Wachovia…20 min so far. Friday was 55 minutes with no answer! 42 minutes ago from twhirl
djrocco72: 20 mins on hold. Pick up already!!!!! about 1 hour ago from Twittelator
Twitter and other social media tools can expose your company’s weaknesses to a tremendous number of people faster than ever before. But they also provide you with a great opportunity to get honest feedback from your customers.
So, if long hold times, specifically, are common at your company, take steps to fix the problem before you earn an indelible reputation for disregarding your customers’ pain.
- Hire an answering service to take calls during busy periods.
- Add in-house staff to handle incoming calls quicker.
- Invest in hardware and/or software that gives callers the option to receive a call back rather than waiting on hold.
Think you can’t afford those solutions? Then ask yourself if you CAN afford to convert loyal customers into online brand assassins.
Another fix: make sure your On Hold Marketing (OHM) is providing valuable information to your callers. If you dare to use your OHM to brag about your company while leaving callers on hold for 10 or 15 minutes, you’re asking for Twitter trouble!
Your content should always be focused on your CALLERS’ wants, needs, and questions. Give them information they can really use so their time on hold is time well spent…and nothing to complain about!
Tags: Hold times, On Hold Marketing, Twitter