Call Queues are supposed to provide an effective means of juggling multiple callers in situations where your company lacks the manpower to engage every customer. They are supposed to be one of the more tangible benefits of VoIP technology.
But it is also easy to see why some customers might take offense with this feature. No one likes waiting, no matter the reason. So you shouldn’t be too surprised to find some customers reacting negatively to the notion of being placed in a virtual queue.
Of course, you don’t have to accept this negative reaction to call queues. Yes, the feature will rub some individuals the wrong way but you can also endeavour to make the idea of call queues less abrasive. Consider the following:
Message
Our call queue feature won’t force your customers to wait in silence. You will have the option of recording a message for their benefit. The message you choose matters. Most people think that it is a good idea to simply tell your clients that you are too busy at the moment to attend to them.
But that isn’t going to play well with some people because it is going to leave your customers with the notion that you are understaffed. And if it is playing on repeat, it will paint the picture of a company in crisis. That isn’t an image you want.
Play the message if you want but limit its frequency.
Value
You need to make sure that the messages you play while your customers wait add value to them. Do not just offer your sympathies and apologies. That sort of courtesy sounds logical but it becomes tiresome relatively quickly, especially if you have to keep your customers waiting for several minutes at a time.
Avoid vague niceties. Tell your customers why you can’t pick their call. Dig into some of your offerings. Reveal the history of your company. Find a message that will keep them engaged.
Information
If you keep redirecting your customers to new queues because you have to keep redirecting them to other employees who are better placed to help them, you need to make sure that those employees are kept abreast of your client’s situation.
If your client, who has waited for several minutes, has to keep repeating themselves and starting their story from scratch, they are going to get irritated. Obviously, they should be expected to elaborate on the details of their situation. But you need to show them that the person to whom you have sent them has been, at the very least, briefed on their situation.
Music
Music is probably the most critical aspect of a call queue strategy. Yes, you are encouraged to use your customer’s waiting time to educate them about your products and services. But you should never overload them with sales pitches.
It will tire them out. Make an effort to intersperse such messages with some soothing music.
Time
Companies know that call queues are annoying to customers. So they only use them when they have absolutely no choice. That being said, it is imperative that you do everything in your power to keep your clients from waiting for too long.
This is especially true for customers who are met by an automated system that immediately redirects them to a queue. Find a way to give your client a human voice to talk to in the shortest amount of time possible, even if your only goal is to temporarily appease them.
Obviously, you can’t please everyone. Some customers will take offense with being put in a queue regardless of the tactics you use. But that shouldn’t stop you from going above and beyond to keep the people in your queue happy. The fewer the complaints you attract, the better.
For more tips about our Call Queuing service, please call free on 0800 0886 886 and speak with one of our agents.
