No one wants to wait on hold while listening to awful music and pre recorded messages. It is not good for your business’ reputation or for the operator to have to take the call if a customer is angry and frustrated after waiting for a long time. A good system will also ensure that customers and visitors are not kept waiting on the phone or at reception for too long.
BBC Watchdog tested companies’ response times to customer calls a few years ago. The waiting times ranged from a respectable fifty seconds for Vodafone to a totally unacceptable 29 minutes and 33 seconds for Sky. And to make matters worse, Sky disconnected the call!
There are many ways to reduce waiting times. Here are the top suggestions:
Do not allow operators to talk to each other while they should be speaking to customers.
Installing a Visitor Management System in your business can help you track staff, contractors, and visitors. It’s an easy way to record any emergency or fire alarm too. For more information on a Visitor Management System, visit Ofec.
If you want to avoid putting customers on hold, phone operators need to have access to information quickly and easily.
Employ active staff
If you want your employees to be able to answer customer queries in a timely and efficient manner, they should know how to quickly access the information that they need.
Ongoing training processes
Regular training is required for your call operators and reception staff to maintain their skills in customer service. You should ensure that all front of house staff receive the appropriate training on how to best handle visitors and callers alike as well as solve problems.
