For companies that handle a large volume of calls on a daily basis, or for those smaller businesses that don’t have the need for a receptionist, Automated Attendants are a great call distribution tool. But the menu creation is an art.
The other day, I called my credit card company to resolve a billing error, and I was greeted by an automated attendant.
I like automated attendants. They can streamline a call process by directing you to the right person. On this day, however, I was in a hurry and irritated about a billing error, and all I wanted to do was speak with a real person. So I pushed “zero,” thinking that would get me to the operator.
It didn’t. Instead I heard, “I’m sorry. You have pressed an incorrect key. Please listen carefully to the following menu.”
Thinking that maybe I had pushed the # key by accident, I pushed zero again. Again I heard, “I’m sorry. You have pressed an incorrect key. Please listen carefully to the following menu.”
I swear I could hear the computer getting annoyed because I wasn’t listening to her menu options. So I pressed zero again, just in case this was a “third-time’s-a-charm” scenario.
This time, I heard “I’m sorry you have pressed an incorrect key. Goodbye.”
What kind of automated call distribution program hangs up on a caller?! Is this company actively trying to lose my business?! Needless to say, it didn’t leave a great impression on me.
I called back and listened to eleven menu options before I heard the one I needed, and when prompted, I smashed the keys, like I was going to somehow inflict pain on the computer on the other end of the phone. Silly, I know, but it made me feel better.
The moral of this story? Automated call distribution programs are a great tool for managing call flow, but menu design is critical to creating a positive experience for your callers. Here are a few tips:
Keep options to a minimum; eleven is way too many! Three to five choices are good.
List options in an order that coincides with the reasons people call. If you need to move callers into another tier of prompts, that’s okay. But your callers shouldn’t have to press more than three buttons to get to the person they’re calling.
ALWAYS include a zero-out option that will immediately connect them to an operator. It’s like a cheat code or a VIP access button. It gives callers control at a time when they may feel they have none. And it can go a long way toward establishing goodwill and repeat business.
