Ghost voices on the phone?

February 5th, 2010 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

I’m sure you’re familiar with the feeling as a business owner…too much to do, and not enough time in the day to get it all done!

Such was the case with one of our clients recently. Their phones were answered by an auto-attendant, but the receptionist that recorded the main greeting had left the company…over a year prior!

Prosound was called in to evaluate the Auto-attendant message, and provide a more professional Caller Experience.

After evaluating the current message wording, voice, and options, we presented a number of wording and structure suggestions, as well as a voice style that fit the image of the company more closely.

For this scenario, we worked closely with the phone system provider to program the suggested changes as we loaded the new messaging.

The new Auto-Attendant message not only features a professional, clear voice, but is underlaid with music, providing a pleasing sound and flow to the message.

Planning, coordination, and implementation took less than a week, and we handled the bulk of the work ourselves. Freeing the business owner to focus on delivering great service!

Do you already know that your Caller Experience needs improving, but you just haven’t had the time to figure out how? Would a turn-key approach help your task load?

Transforming the Caller Experience…now that doesn’t sound scary!

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Engage your caller.

February 4th, 2010 by Chester Hull | 1 Comment - click to view »

Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference for your Caller Experience. I’m talking about the order in which you present the options in your Auto-Attendant.

Recently we were asked to do a Caller Experience Evaluation for a client who told us that most of their callers to this phone number would be potential clients, as existing clients were given direct access phone numbers. When we evaluated their greeting, we found that the first two options given were:

  • “If you have an active user account, please press 1”, and
  • “If you are calling to re-activate your account, please press 2”

Both of these options were only of interest to EXISTING clients, not potential new clients. If a prospective client was calling in, they had to wait until Option 3 (“To learn more about our service…”) or Option 4 (“If you’re ready to purchase…). While some may hang on the phone long enough to get to those, the client was missing out on engaging those prospects right up front.

Be sure your phone system is speaking to the caller, in the language the caller speaks…and is giving them the options they are looking for right up front. Prospective customers are sometimes skittish…don’t give them any reason to hang up the phone!

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“For a better call experience, press 1…”

December 8th, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

What options are your callers looking for when they call your business?

We’re working with a new client who will be using an Automated Attendant to answer the initial call to their business. (See: When to use an Auto attendant)

Since they are implementing this for the first time, right now is a critical time to evaluate what the call experience will be.

Our initial steps are to uncover all the available options for callers from the business perspective. Every reason a caller might be calling. We will list those out, and order them in importance.

Then we’ll evaluate that from the caller’s perspective. What may be most important to the business may not be the most important option for the caller! And guess who wants to be in control in this scenario? The caller…they are the ones actively participating in the conversation.

Next, we analyze the words used to describe the various functions. Are they using “standard” words like “Sales Department”, “Accounting”, and similar “non-action” words?

From a caller’s perspective, those words are sometimes hazy…not easily spelling out what you want them to do.

We suggest using options like “To make a purchase, or inquire about products”, “To pay a bill, or request a payment”…. options that clearly state what you want the caller to find behind that option. And don’t be afraid to make it a call to action…as in: “Request a consultation”

Next time we’ll talk about the order you choose for your options, and how you can make it easy for your caller to remember the option they want to choose.

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Is lack of continuity on your phone losing customers?

December 3rd, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

I just hung up the phone with American Express, and wow, what an experience!
I called to ask for a credit increase on my American Express card. The Interactive Voice Response system easily walked me through the process of entering my account information, entering the amount of credit I was requesting, and entering income details. It then proceeded to ask me to wait, while it transferred me to a representative.

I expected the representative to pick up right where the system left off, complete the application, and provide my results.

Boy was I disappointed in American Express! The phone system didn’t hand off any of my information. The representative answered the call as if I had just called in, and had no idea that that I was in the middle of a request for a credit increase. In fact, as I explained to him the process I had been walked through by the IVR, he sounded slightly amazed, as if he didn’t realize their phone system did that!

As I explained my story, he offered to put me through to the “Credit Increase Department”, which sounded promising to me.

The representative that answered the phone continued my dissapointment with American Express. She did not know my name, (which I had by now given twice), she did not know what I was calling about (which I had now given twice), and she did not have my account information (which I had now given…yep, you guessed it…two times!)

She offered to submit a request for me, and I proceeded to give her all my information (again).

I then asked about their 60 day policy. You see, American Express has a policy that they will not raise a credit limit within 60 days of opening the account.

Now, this wouldn’t normally be a problem. Except we had just moved from a Visa card with Bank of America, to the American Express card. American Express, in their infinite wisdom, decided that our business only needed a credit line that was 15 percent of our old card.

I asked if there was someone I could speak to about authorizing an increase. I was told no there wasn’t, not within 60 days.

I explained how this was making it quite difficult to run a small business. American Express markets themselves as the Small Business Solution…the one thing you need if you’re a small business. Then they’ve made it incredibly difficult to do business with them.

The representative did tell me that the soonest they could offer an increase would be the 15th of December (which, ironically, is LESS than 60 days since we opened the account!), and suggested I call back then.

So how could American Express have handled this better? Let’s count the ways:

  1. The IVR system could include a message about the 60 day policy.
  2. The IVR could complete the process without the hand-off to a representative
  3. The IVR could display my information out to the rep, so he would be instantly up to speed on what my call was all about.
  4. The IVR could have transferred me directly to the Credit Increase Department, since it already knew that’s what I wanted.
  5. The rep that did transfer me to the Credit Increase Department could have made an Assisted Transfer, passing along my story (and my name and account information) to the next representative.
  6. With a company policy in place that shackles her hands, this representative wasn’t going to be able to change a lot for me. However, rather than ask me to call back, she could offer to be proactive, take my information, and submit the request on the 15th, rather then make me start the process over again.
  7. She could offer to contact me with the results or any questions at that time.

Any of these things would be an improvement on how American Express handled my call. This may have cost them us as a client, and I know we’re not the only ones with this experience!

So why should you care about my experience with American Express?

Hundreds or thousands of customers and prospects are calling your business every week. Have you thought about what their caller experience is like and how you can improve it?

Just a few simple changes like these can make a world of difference in how your customers feel about your business. Don’t make it difficult to do business with you!

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What are they thinking?

December 2nd, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

Your advertisements are tweaked to achieve maximum response. You’ve analyzed the colors, words, and images until you know there’s nothing else you can do. It’s your message to your market, and you’re ready to let it fly.

So what will happen with those potential customers call you? Have you thought about HOW they buy? Have you considered their buying preferences?

Research from Dr. Carl Jung, Dr. Marston,  and others, there are four basic preferences in how people perceive the world, and make decisions. We’ll call those Competitive, Spontaneous, Humanist, and Methodical.

People like to hear things in their own language…the way things make sense to them. If you’re talking in the fast paced, make-it-happen-now, pull-the-trigger-and-ride-the-bullet world of a Spontaneous, you might lose the Humanist, because they need a deeply personal connection in order to do business with you.
On the other hand, outlining all the facts, timelines, and responsibilites for the Methodical can cause the Competitive, and especillay the Spontaneous, to be bored, and not pay attention.

Just like we like to communicate in the “language” of our personality type, we also tend to write and speak in that same language.

So what do you do? How can you keep from isolating a large percentage of your callers?

You should make a consciense effort to include words from each of the four personality types.

Methodicals focus on language that answers the question “How?”. How does this work? How do the details fit together. How can I plan ahead with this?

Spontaneous personalities live in the moment, focusing on phrases like “Why do you think you can getme what I need quickly? Why is your service superior?

Humanistic personalities have a personal, relationship-oriented focus. They want to hear phrases like “Who uses your products? Who is on your staff, and let me see the bios. Who can tell me how your product or service will make me feel?

Competitive personalities focus on answering the “What” question. They’ll often ask “What are your competitive advantages? What makes you a superior choice? And What can you do to help me be more productive.

Wow! That’s a lot to keep up with! So how does it all work together? Here’s an example of four different ads, each written for a mythical cruise line. Each based on the same DEMOgraphics, but written specifically for each of the four personalities. See if you can tell which ad is targeted to which demographic?

1. 8 decks of fun. 21 meals prepared by top chefs in the world. 42 hours to sit by the pool. Planned activities everyday. Bring your swimsuit and evening gown, because we cover both extremes. We guarantee you’ll relax, or your money back.

2. Congratulations, you’re cruising on the best rated Cruise Line ever. Custom toiletries in every cabin, and VIP tours and activities are available. Meet new friends, and show off a little while you relax. And never be out of touch with your friends and followers, with onboard internet access (included in your Premium pass).

3. You’ll never have another chance to live today, so enjoy it as much as you can with a cruise on Women’s Escape Cruislines. Book it now for a special bonus offer of an “I Escaped with W.E.C!” windbreaker. Because this might be your first cruise, but it won’t be your last. Make your own schedule, because on this cruise, we’re open around the clock!

4. “Cruising was the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever taken”…Cristy – Cruised to Barbados . “Knowing that Women’s Escape Cruislines was tailored specifically for what I as a woman like, made it an easy choice. And spending the week with 3 old friends made it feel like we were back in middle school”. Helen – Cruised to Jamaica. Women’s Escape Cruislines has the most return friends cruising. In fact, 40% of our cruisers are second or 3rd time cruisers.

So how did you do? 1 is for the Methodical, with all details included, nothing left to chance, and prepared for anything. 2 is for the Competitive, with VIP tours, best ratings, and premium upgrades. 3 is for the Spontaneous, with a “book it now” bonus offer, a free gift, and the ability to have fun when and where you want. And 4 is for the Humanistic, with a personal connection, a reccomendation from someone else, and a knowledge that they are making the right choice.

 

By writing your On-Hold and  Auto Attendant messages with these things in mind, you’ll be able to craft your specific message in ways that will strike a chord with all personalities!

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On being a winner

November 25th, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

Everyone likes to be a winner, and I’m especially happy today! Imagine my surprise when going to Michelle Miller’s Wonderbranding site, and seeing my name in the winners list! I’ve won a signed copy of Tom Wanek’s book “Currencies That Buy Credibility”. I’ve seen excerpts from the book, and I’m looking forward to reading it!

If you want to win with customers, and want tools and techniques to drive more traffic, sales, and word-of-mouth, you need this book!

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How long until I hear my message…?

November 25th, 2009 by Chester Hull | 1 Comment - click to view »

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is “How long until our On-Hold message is setup?” Or in the case of existing clients “How long will it take until my update is ready?”

 So to help answer those questions, I’m going to break down the process into steps, so you can see exactly how an On-Hold message is produced. Think of it as pulling back the curtain, and giving you a glimpse into my world. Ready? Here we go!

If you are a new client, we’ve probably had a phone call or face to face meeting to find out how our service can help you…what some of your pain points are.

This is followed up by us preparing a custom proposal that addresses the topics we discussed, and presents several options for you. That usually happens one day after our initial conversation.

Once you approve the agreement, we schedule a time to do a more thorough “uncovery” of your business. We delve into understanding your customer, your caller profile, and how customers interact with your business. Don’t worry if you don’t know all that stuff…we’ll help you walk through it. That takes an hour or two, and can be done on the phone.

We then go to work crafting an initial script, based on our uncovery. This takes anywhere from 3 to 5 days, after which, we send the initial script to you for your approval.

Next we reccomend voices and music styles to you, and begin producing the On-Hold message. This process takes 3-5 days to complete. We send the completed production to you for review, and after receiving your approval, we schedule a time to install the On-Hold player, and load the message.

Plugging in the player is quite simple, and in fact, we are able to walk you through that over the phone most of the time!
Once the player is connected properly, it automatically downloads your new message right away, and begins playing in to your callers!

Overall, the entire process takes 10 to 14 days, depending on how quickly we hear back from you at the differant approval steps.

If you are an existing client, the paperwork on the front end, and the installation on the back end don’t apply, but the rest of the process is exactly the same. So about 10 to 14 days for your update to be loaded.

 If you like to see things visually, here is a complete timeline, including what parts of the process you are involved in, and what things are our responsibility. (View the timeline full size in a new window)

On-Hold_Workflow

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Update your message…update your caller

November 23rd, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

How often to update the messages your callers hear On-Hold.

One of the most frequent questions I hear is “how often should I change my On-Hold message?” This is usually coming from a business owner who is already juggling more hats than a hat-stand!

Ultimately, the value of your On-Hold message is measured by the value it brings to your callers. Are your messages relevant? Are you talking to your customer in their language, using the words they want to hear?

So when do you update your On-Hold message?

Here are the factors that should go into that decision;

What is the caller profile?

Which means, is one caller calling once a week, for 2 months? Or are they calling once a day for a week? Once per quarter? Once per year?

How many phone calls do you get in a day?

Understanding your caller profile is the first step towards understanding how to craft your message to be relevant to them.

How long will they hear it?

Consider how long your caller will be listening to your message. (This also determines the length and structure of your On-Hold message, but that will have to be for a different post!)
Are they hearing thirty seconds or five minutes?

A caller that hears five minutes of your On-hold message is going to quickly tire of what they hear. You’ll need to change that quite often to make their call experience a good one.

Be Specific

The more specific you can be in your On-Hold message, the more impact it will have on your caller. Usually the more specific you are, the more you will need to keep your message current, in order to remain connected with your caller.

Tie it into other marketing

Your new print ad was just published. You’re crossing your fingers, and hoping your dollars were well spent. And how the phone rings. What your caller hears while their On-Hold can have a huge impact on reinforcing the advertising you do, or sounding disconnected from other marketing efforts.

Do you update your On-Hold message whenever you change your ad or publish a new one? If you don’t, you’re not serving your customers well. Have you ever clicked a link in an email, expecting to be taken to a spefici product page, or to learn more about something, and instead you land on the home page of the company? You’re left searching for the product or information that you want.

The same thing happens to your caller when your On-Hold message isn’t coordinated with your marketing. Don’t make them hunt for information…they may just start hunting with your competition!

Surprise them!

One of the best ways to keep them tuned in to your message is to surprise them with new information.

Recently I was working through an “uncovery” with a new client that provides mailing services, and they mentioned that a lot of their customers weren’t aware that they also provided document storage, archiving, and shredding.

What a terrific opportunity to connect with people that you are already doing business with, to let them show them how you can help solve other pain points in their life!

Common update times

You will find some fairly common update recommendations from On-Hold providers. These include:

·      Daily

·      Monthly

·      Quarterly

·      Semi-Annually

After reviewing your caller profile, your other marketing, specific products or services you want to promote, and you’ve thought about ways to surprise your caller, you’ll have a much better understanding of how often you should have your On-Hold message updated.

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Two ways your phone is killing your sales

November 19th, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »

Take control of your phone experience to elevate your company by knowing when to use an automated attendant.

Have you made the decision to use an auto attendant? What went into that decision? Your company needs an edge, and how your phone is answered is a critical area to start.

Consider this example: A company with a “live answer only” policy thinks they are pleasing their callers. But in reality, without a dedicated receptionist, a caller’s experience will be different every time. And with 4 dedicated sales people answering the call, callers only have a 25% chance of their salesperson answering the call. If they don’t, it means hold time, transferring, and maybe voicemail hell! That’s a difficult environment to make your company stand out!

Here’s where you gain an edge. This is a perfect environment to implement an auto-attendant solution. But give your callers the control over where they go. Offer your sales people’s extensions right up front, so callers can reach them by name, extension, or option. This gives them a precision experience, reaching exactly the right person 100% of the time.

A second benefit to your company is eliminating interruptions and distractions for your employees. Pugh Research says that every time a call takes your employee off task, it takes up to 10 minutes for them to recover. Once they no longer have to

handle calls for fellow employees, they will stay much more focused on the task at hand.

Your competition has made a knee-jerk reaction to how their phone is answered. Now you can get a step ahead by extending your superior showroom experience over the phone to your valuable callers.

Rock your customer’s world, while controlling the interruptions for your staff!

Live or auto-attendant? Evaluate your inside environment to make that decision with confidence.

So how does it feel to have an edge on your competition? Winning the phone war wasn’t hard, was it?

Enjoy your happy customers! (and that’s a win for everyone!)

Next week we’ll talk about how to make your auto attendant draw your caller in.

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Breaking through the phone system!

November 18th, 2009 by Chester Hull | Click to leave a comment »



How not answering the phone will help connect with your customer

Think about the last time you called a company, and were given the run around. “I’ll try to connect you” the perky receptionist said, before dumping you into a permanent hold pattern. After an eternity, someone did pick up the phone, but it was the receptionist again…”I’m sorry, I’m still trying to locate him…” more hold time. Pretty frustrating, isn’t it? So many companies don’t think how inefficient their caller experience really is, and it’s frustrating callers who just want to get right to their salesperson!

Just this week we worked with a fast-paced home sales company who required their calls to be answered live. But with up to 6 people answering the phone, the chance of a caller reaching their dedicated salesperson were pretty slim! “I’ll transfer you” was heard more often than “I can help you!”

Solution? They should have used an Auto-Attendant to answer the phones. Callers would be greeted with a consice greeting, then given the option to speak the name of their salesperson, or enter their extention. If the sales person was available, the caller would be talking (and buying!) in very short order. And if the sales person was not available, the call goes straight to voicemail, where a custom greeting assured they would be called back that same day.

Bottom line? There are companies that should answer the phones with a live person. But there are plenty of times where an Auto-Attendant will actually give your callers what they want, in a more efficient, easy way.

Have you called your company lately? Go ahead, do it now. Comment below on your experience.

Next week, we’ll talk about making an impression over the phone.

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