Good communication is everything. And when you conduct business on the phone, this is especially true. When you are not face to face with the person that you’re speaking to, it becomes really important to use appropriate tones and inflections so that your message is communicated clearly. You never want to be misunderstood as impatient, standoffish or one that exhibits any other negative character traits.
This isn’t always easy. Especially when you’re handling customer complaints, it’s incredibly important to remain patient and professional. Whenever you have a person on the line who needs to have a problem resolved, the manner in which you handle it can make or break that relationship with your business. That being said, the way you handle placing callers on hold is integral to good problem solving.
After all, people generally hate being placed on hold. So the way that you go about doing it will certainly make a difference in whether your customers become satisfied or further annoyed. It may sound like an easy thing to do. However, there is a special technique to the whole process of placing a caller on and off hold. In today’s blog, we’ll go over five important steps to take when placing your callers on hold.
1. Ask permission. Do your best to refrain from making such short commands as “hold please”. You’ll also want to avoid making statements like “I’m going to place you on hold.” Instead, ask the caller if it’s okay that you place him or her on hold. Give them an approximate amount of time that they will be placed on hold as well. This will help to avoid hang ups. Be sure to stick to your timeframe too.
2. Listen for a response. Asking permission is pointless if you’re not willing to actually wait to get it. Be sure to allow your caller time to respond with a “yes” before you place him or her on hold. This shows that you respect the person that you’re speaking with and will help for that person to gain a greater respect for the way that your company does business. Also, don’t forget to thank the caller before you place the call on hold.
3. Check back. As mentioned earlier, you want to stick to the timeframe that you provide for the hold time. To reiterate, people generally dislike being on hold. If your work looks like it’s going to take longer than the approximate time you’ve allotted for yourself, be sure to get back to the caller to inform him or her. Simply repeat the hold process by apologizing for the time it is taking to complete your task and give another approximate hold time.
4. Incorporate hold music. When people hear dead silence on the phone, they often assume that the line has been disconnected. Hold music will greatly improve your hang up ratio. Utilize upbeat music that will entertain your caller instead of boring or annoying him or her. The possibilities for hold music are endless. You may even want to look into getting your own original pieces to serve as your hold music. It will certainly set you apart.
5. Thank your caller. When you finally return back to the call, be sure to thank your caller for the patience and understanding being shown to you. You may also want to apologize for the delay to further communicate that you are aware of the importance of the time of your customer. Everyone’s time is important. You always want to make sure that your customers are aware that you care about theirs.
Contact MeloTel for information about our amazing Telephone Features that include hold music. We can be reached at 1-888-MELOTEL!