In the age of social media, bad news travels faster than ever before. And if you subject your callers to long hold times and a poor phone experience, the bad news may be all about you. Watch our Marketing Minute video for tips on how to keep your valuable callers happy and your good reputation intact.
If you’re considering a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system, check this information from Premier Technologies first. It lists 10 popular VOIP options and how they interface with On Hold Marketing systems.
For certain companies – but not all – a VOIP phone system makes sense. Click here to read ”What to Consider Before Making the Switch.”
Here’s the first in our new series of BusinessVoice Marketing Minute videos that explains how to use your outgoing voicemail message to market your company and give callers a great reason to wait for the beep!
It’s not often that someone hands out compliments after waiting on hold, but that’s what I heard recently when my wife finished phoning her doctor’s office at The Toledo Clinic. “Now that’s the way every business should do it,” she said.
Why the raves instead of the typical rant about time wasted on hold? Because she was in control throughout the experience.
The call was to re-schedule an appointment, and an automated attendant system answered and placed her on hold. It periodically reported how many calls were ahead of her and offered an option to leave a voicemail message at any time. It was the best of both worlds; if you have the time, you know about how long you’ll have to wait. In a hurry? Just leave a message and we’ll get back to you.
A common complaint is that being on hold feels like being held prisoner. How many times have you called a cell phone company, a cable provider or a credit card firm and been placed on hold, left adrift in a vast sea of forgettable music, with just an occasional passing marker saying your call is appreciated, but no sign of an answer on the horizon? You don’t dare hang up, but your resentment grows every minute that you hang on.
No one should want their customers or prospects to have this experience. So how can you improve this marketing point of entry to give back some of the control to callers? In addition to automated voicemail options, you could add an email address to your on-hold message to give callers an alternate way to contact you. Create a special address to be used only in your on hold message and have your customer service staff check frequently for these messages, so you can respond fast.
On Hold Messaging that gives more control to your callers and adds value with messages that inform and entertain shows your respect for their time. It sets the stage for a positive experience once you answer the call.
A recent study by Mindset Media reveals that personality is a more effective predictor for media consumption behavior than traditional demographic signifiers like age, gender and income.
As reported by Beth Snyder Bulik for AdAge, Mindset surveyed over 5,000 people using 21 elements of personality including leadership, openness, perfectionism and dynamism, as well as traditional demographics. The findings were interesting. See the full article here.
What happens after you’ve combined traditional demographic data and personality indicators to determine your marketing direction? You spend a lot of your marketing budget trying to get consumers to call, click or visit. But what happens to your marketing messages after that?
That’s where Point-Of-Entry Marketing comes in.
A point of entry is any portal through which people access your business or organization, such as your telephone, your website, and your front door. Point-Of-Entry Marketing picks up where your mass marketing leaves off and provides a smooth transition into your business or organization.
No matter what demographic or personality profile your customers fit into, you can reach them with your most important messages at a time when they are ready to buy – when they’ve called you, visited your website, or come to your location.
And the best part is, it’s cost-effective because you already own the medium. You don’t have to buy air time on your phone lines; there are never any competitors’ messages playing in your lobby or your store; and no one else can put their sale information on your website.
Learn more about Point-Of-Entry Marketing here.
There are many no-cost or low-cost steps you can take to encourage repeat business, build your brand equity, and create a positive and memorable customer experience. One of the most basic is to train or remind everyone on your staff to be a pleasant, helpful human being when using your company’s telephones.
We all know that customers are more likely to buy from people and companies they like and feel good about, yet, every day, bad impressions are cemented and potential business is lost when:
a) Employees answer the telephone with an unprofessional attitude or a complete lack of enthusiasm (the “Is it Friday yet?” mentality).
b) Receptionists speak so quickly or incoherently that prospective customers question if they’ve called the right number.
c) Operators treat customers as if their calls are interruptions, rather than the reasons for their jobs.
Now ask yourself if your company’s callers are being treated with the level of care and attention they deserve?
Customers are more likely to come back to you again and again - and spread good word-of-mouth about you – when they feel genuinely welcomed, when they feel valued and respected, and when they feel that you identify with their needs. So, it’s very important to create those positive feelings right away, the very first time customers call.
If your staff’s phone skills and manners are not playing an active and positive role in your marketing, adopt these five simple rules as quickly as possible.
Rule 1: Apply the Golden Rule to every caller. In other words, treat them the same way you’d like to be treated as a paying customer.
Rule 2: Answer the phone with a smile. Yes, actually smile! It’ll give you a more positive attitude, and callers will “hear the friendliness” in your voice. Remember, you’re trying to make a positive impression, whether the person on the line is a first-time caller or one of your most loyal customers. (Here’s a great program to help with telephone etiquette skills.)
Rule 3: Whenever possible, refer to your callers by name. Most people like the sound of their own name, and hearing you say it tells them that they’re important to you and your company.
Rule 4: Speak slowly and clearly. If you hurry or slur your way through your initial greeting or when providing information that needs to be written down, you’ll only frustrate your callers and force them to ask you to repeat yourself.
Rule 5: Be friendly, but use courteous, respectful language. You never know how the caller may be judging you and, by extension, your company. Replace the words “yep” and “yeah” with “yes ma’am” and “yes sir.” And the words “please” and “thank you” are just as important on the phone as they are in any face-to-face social situation.
These rules may seem basic, but how many companies are living by them? If your competitors aren’t placing enough importance on the caller experience, your mastery of telephone skills and etiquette will further distinguish your company.
And remember, successful companies are often built on the basics, like a customer-centric attitude and an understanding that every phone call is an opportunity to build customer share and create brand evangelists.
You know that telephone customer service is a hot-button issue when people are writing letters to the editor (scroll down to the bottom) to complain about it. But maybe you didn’t know just how much it costs when incoming calls from sales prospects are mishandled.
In a fascinating article for marketingprofs.com, internet marketing expert Todd Meichiels quantifies this in stark numbers. He tells the story of a client who was paying big bucks for Google AdWords to promote their web site and drive calls to a toll-free number. But when he made a test call, Meichiels arrived in the sixth circle of automated attendant Hell, with no way to speak to a live person. Like most callers, he just hung up.
This company was paying $65 per click to get roughly 1 out of 10 visitors to actually pick up the phone and dial a call to the sales team. This amounts to $650 per call (actually much more, when indirect marketing costs are factored in), and that $650 call was immediately flushed down the abyss of the automated phone system. Any chance of a positive impression was immediately turned into a lost sale.
Maybe you’re not using AdWords, but you’re spending money to get people to call you by including your phone number on your web site, in ads, sales flyers, brochures, on letterhead and business cards and in the local phone directory. Maybe you don’t use an automated attendant, but a poorly trained staff can do just as much damage as a badly designed call answering system. Do you need telephone etiquette training for your personnel? Why not pick up the phone and check it out for yourself.
We’ve just updated the “Humor On Hold” page of our website. Take a listen to some of the ways we’ve kept callers entertained recently.
And while you’re there, let us know what you think of using humor to brand your company, shorten your callers’ perceived hold times, and improve their on hold experience. Our “YourVoice” poll is at the bottom of the page.
Here are a few recent quotes on the subject from BusinessVoice clients:
“Having humorous on hold messaging has been a benefit to Kellermeyer. Our callers really enjoy being on hold. In fact, some have asked to be put back on hold to finish listening. Our customers are aware that we change our messages quarterly and they make comments about each quarter’s new messages. Also, by focusing on products that are big movers during a specific timeframe, such as ice melt in the winter, customers add on to their orders.” - Jill Kegler / President, Kellermeyer Company
“We at Amazing Space, Inc. would like to pass along our appreciation for an excellent job in producing and delivering our on-hold messaging. We had asked for something very clever, unique, and fun, and your team came through with flying colors on the first shot. And the turnaround time on all aspects of the project exceeded our expectations. Daily we get compliments on the production from customers calling in, and it definitely contributes to Amazing Space’s brand development. Thanks again.” – Dave Parrish / President, Amazing Space
There’s a huge battle underway between Netflix and Blockbuster Video for subscribers who rent their DVD’s by mail. Netflix pioneered the concept and has 6.7 million customers. Blockbuster with 3.6 million customers is now experiencing faster growth with their Total Access plan that lets you get an extra DVD in addition to the mail delivery by exchanging it in the store. (An offer that is cannibalizing Blockbuster’s store sales in order to boost the mail program.)
Still, it’s advantage Blockbuster, right? Well, Netflix has decided to change the rules too — for customer service. According to the New York Times, Netflix shut down its e-mail customer service and opened a 24/7 toll-free call center, choosing live voices over keystrokes. This is no offshore outsourcing either; the call center is located in Portland, Oregon and staffed by lots of friendly people who are directed to take as much time as they need on the phone to handle customer concerns. Experts say it’s the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing in customer service.
And that’s good, because it’s a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that differentiates Netflix from Blockbuster. This battle is far from over, but there’s a lesson here for all of us. Having a USP that focuses on superior customer service may be a great defense against a competitor who’s willing to lose money in order to beat you.
