The time your callers spend waiting on hold is called ‘queue time’ by some. It’s the length of time they’re waiting to speak to a real person, after they’re put on hold or your recorded phone greeting answers the call. Sometimes putting callers on hold is necessary, but is a long queue time affecting your business?
Let’s face it, no one wants to be put on hold. Being left in silence or listening to crackling on hold music is a nearly unbearable customer experience. Annoying customers isn’t a great way to get their business. Consider putting your callers on hold like a ticking time bomb. The longer the queue time, the more likely the bomb will go off and they’ll hang up. Boom. You’ve just lost some business.
Research from Velaro showed that 60% of people who are forced to wait for one minute will hang up. 32% believed that their call should be answered immediately, with zero on hold time. 28% said they would wait for one minute before giving up and only 4% said they would wait as long as it takes. 4% caller retention is not great for business.
I know what you’re thinking. When things get busy, you have no choice but to put callers on hold. Knowing that they don’t want to wait, are frustrated and could take their business elsewhere is stressful, but there is something you can do to make a bad situation better.
Did you know that callers who hear information and music statistically stay on the line 3 minutes longer than those who are left in silence? Messages on hold allow you to engage, entertain and educate callers while they wait for you to get to their call. Professionally written, voiced and produced messages on hold are the solution for improving customer service when the customer is made to wait.
On Air offers professional message on hold that will help you keep callers on the line longer and provide them with a more positive customer experience. What can you put in your message on hold? You can have helpful tips, entertaining trivia, special offers and events and important information about your business in your messages. This content will be produced with quality music and experienced, professional voice overs.
If you must make your customers wait, do what you can to make their queue time as positive as possible. Message on hold is the solution. Ask us more!
The average North American executive spends an average of 15 minutes a day on hold. That’s 9 days a year.
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