We have recommended to clients over the years to take the "mother in-law" test. Have your mother in-law (or another family member or friend who you care for) call into your business acting like a prospect or a customer. Then, have them report to you about their experience. The results might shock you.
Sensory Experience
What kind of sensory experience are you providing to your customers and to your callers? Think about what your business sounds, looks, and feels like. It's easy to forget about your customer's experience with your business. How often do you really experience your business exactly like your customers do? Likely, never.
On Hold Show! Silence hurts!
This week's On-Hold Show topic is Silence!
What message are you sending to your callers? Silence hurts, it actually makes the situation measurably worse.
On Hold Show! Passion
How much passion do you have for what you do?
Live with passion, work with Passion - it makes all the difference!
Even the rich and famous are put on-hold.
It's not just the common-folk that pleasure of being put on-hold. Yes, celebrities too, are asked to hold.
Years ago, during the Martha Stewart trial, the topic of her Merrill Lynch's music on-hold actually surfaced. In fact, reports say, Stewart was so frustrated with the on-hold music that she threatened to actually fire the company as her broker if the music wasn't improved.
We've reached out to Merrill Lynch for comment and to offer our services, and are still awaiting their response. Rest assured, if Martha, the queen of pies, linens, and holiday decorations, heard something productive and useful while on-hold (say, for example, trading laws ) she might not have been so distraught.
Gotta run, the apple pie is starting to burn...
Halloween is a great time to show your personality!
October means Halloween savings. Scary decorations and more! Why not have fun with your callers ? They will remember your on-hold experience if it includes a scary voice, music, and Halloween message.
Go ahead, have fun and let your callers enjoy!
Take a listen to this sample of a production for a New York-based Car Dealership. They wanted a fun production to market their Scary Savings Month on-hold. Here's just a short sample of what they received. The reviews have been great!
First impressions aren't important. They are VERY important.
Making an amazing first impression is critical. It is the basis by which all other judgments are made. Make a sour first impression and you've already stacked the cards against yourself. Do your business a favor and make the very best first impression for those you serve, your clients. Clean up your waiting room, dust your showroom, tidy up your parking lot, and, when traffic comes via the phone, make sure the telephone experience is a stellar one.
Oftentimes, the phone call to a business is the first point of contact. In this short experience, your organization will set the stage and paint the picture for your customer (or, at this stage, prospect.) It is, in many cases, the very first opportunity to make a first impression. What kind of picture will you paint when you place your new prospect on-hold? How does your staff answer the phone (more on this in a later post - see "phone etiquette")?
It's true that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. Remember the first time you met your in-laws? What kind of first impression to you give? Don't you wish you had a great on-hold system that day?!
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
We live in a world of comforts. Comfort foods, plush slippers, and inspection tags in every elevator. Everything is there to make us comfortable, reassure us and keep us all going. Sometimes, we need a little extra reassurance. A reminder, if you will, that we're making the right decision - that we're headed down the right path.
When was the last time you bought a pair of shoes that you weren't sure of? Maybe they were great, but maybe they were just okay? Until you took a chance, and wore them. "Nice shoes," your neighbor says. And, that's all it takes. A little reassurance that your first instinct was correct.
Businesses use clever techniques to influence our feelings about products and services. Remind the patient about how they will feel when they have whiter, brighter teeth and the dentist might find another patient asking about the newest teeth whitening service. Suggest that "no meal is complete without a side of our delicious hand-cut french fries" and the hungry caller, who was already thinking about it, was just "pushed over the edge" and increased his order by $5!
What business are you in? Reassure your clients. Keep them calm, keep them comfortable. And, if all else fails, serve up some mashed potatoes and gravy.
When was the last time you bought a pair of shoes that you weren't sure of? Maybe they were great, but maybe they were just okay? Until you took a chance, and wore them. "Nice shoes," your neighbor says. And, that's all it takes. A little reassurance that your first instinct was correct.
Businesses use clever techniques to influence our feelings about products and services. Remind the patient about how they will feel when they have whiter, brighter teeth and the dentist might find another patient asking about the newest teeth whitening service. Suggest that "no meal is complete without a side of our delicious hand-cut french fries" and the hungry caller, who was already thinking about it, was just "pushed over the edge" and increased his order by $5!
What business are you in? Reassure your clients. Keep them calm, keep them comfortable. And, if all else fails, serve up some mashed potatoes and gravy.
Engage your customers, with some humor!
How do you engage your customers? Humor helps. Here are a few hints:
- Use your captive audience time, in this case, your on-hold time to everyone's benefit. Respect your callers time and your staff's time alike. Answer common questions, provide useful information, and some interesting 'did you knows' about your business or industry.
- Highlight your company's benefits, strengths and what sets you apart from everyone else. Remember that your caller has choices!
- Engage your callers with some humor, perhaps, something regarding your industry.
- A well-produced on-hold marketing campaign will do all of these things and so much more!
Call us to discuss how we can assist in engaging your callers!
Experience, Service, Value.
How does your company distinguish itself from the competition? Is it your product line? Level of service? Hands-on approach? There's no question that in just about all industries, competition is fierce and your business needs to set a standard of excellence. Of course, your telephone experience is one example of how you might be able to do just that. Here's a short vide we assembled to distinguish what we believe to be our competitive advantages. We hope you enjoy!
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