According to TIME magazine, the average person spends 13 hours a year on hold. Keeping your client and customers on hold can be inevitable sometimes. How can you make your customers happier while they wait? Is that even possible?
VoIP phone systems have a feature that allows background music. Although background music may not make your client completely happy, it can help. So the question is, what is the best background for keeping your clients’ happy while on hold? Before we go full fledge into this information, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
One:
The music you choose for customers on hold is almost equal to branding your company. Before you get on the phone with the customer, you are already giving them a subconscious feeling of “who” your business is. Perhaps you are in a law office. In this case, I would not suggest a pop or rap music background. Your office could appear to be immature and unprofessional, with the possibility of your clients won’t take you as seriously.
Two:
How loud is your background? You want to make sure that the customer can hear the background, but without making them feel they are next to the speakers at an AC/DC concert. Both of these volume levels can irritate the customer enough, leaving you with lost calls or losing potential clients.
Lastly:
At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone. There are too many people with too many different likes, dislikes, and opinions. Overall, pick something that brands your company, with the right volume, and pleases the most people.
Overload! That’s a lot to take in at once!
Maybe this will help narrow down your choices. There was a study done in FL
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by a state abuse hotline. They were receiving a hundred or more calls a day, yet people kept hanging up. They decided to do a study to see if the background music had any contribution. After 5 weeks of changing music, they found it did have an effect. Interestingly enough, when they played classical and relaxation music, most calls were dropped. On the other hand, the least amount of people hung up when listening to jazz followed by country music.
Between choosing background music or a ringing tone, there is a third choice – silence. Another study from the University of Edinburgh implies this is the worst thing you can do.
Without music or ringing the client or customer or hold is more like to hang up. As the University states, “In general, the presence of music and updates are also shown to reduce the overestimation of perceived waiting time.” A person waiting on silence is going to feel they have been on wait longer than someone listening to music.
In conclusion, this is just something to think about when growing your business, help center, or whenever you keep someone on hold. Be sure to leave a comment and tell us what you think! What kind of music do you want in the background when on hold?
Although background music may not make your client completely happy, it can help. So the question is, what is the best background for keeping your clients’ happy while on hold? Before we go full fledge into this information, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
