How to Improve Customer Wait Times

If your business is expanding, you may find that you have a long line of customers waiting for answers and assistance. This could impact the overall image of your business as customers look to get assistance in a timely manner. 

Nothing is more frustrating than waiting on hold for a phone call that goes on way longer than it should. Help your customer achieve satisfaction with these few steps and tricks to expedite the waiting process. 

1. Implement Contact Center AI

Contact Center AI may sound daunting at first, but it can be very helpful for both customers, and for human representatives attempting to help those customers. Contact Center AI is able to compile data to provide solutions to common issues that your customers may be facing. 

Further, contact center AI can help customers with simple issues, and therefore remove them from the queue, so that customers with more pressing or intricate matters are able to reach a live representative in a more timely manner. This is something that can be very helpful for both customers and representatives.

2. Music

Give them something to listen to instead of the same old boring dial tone. This will be slightly more interesting and encourage them to be persistent with their wait. It will also allow them to set down the phone and know that they'll be able to hear once the music stops. 

Music is known to hold caller retention and keep them more engaged so that they are ready to work with a representative. Music also has the power to make them more amenable to working with a representative from a psychological perspective. However, be sure to vary the music and tone, mood, and genre.

3. Information and Frequently Asked Questions

Use the time that your customers are waiting on the phone to provide them with information to frequently asked questions. For example, you may want to have pre-recorded answers about business hours, pricing, appointments, etc. This way, some customers may find that their questions are answered, without having to go through the waiting process to speak to a live representative.

When most customers want answers to their questions quickly, the potential of providing them with an answer immediately has significant benefits. 

You can also use this pre-recorded time to speak about important information about your company. You can talk about upcoming events, changes that are happening, or other exciting developments that you feel your customers may want to know.

4. Divide Lines Up by Department

Consider having your representative specialize in certain departments and issues. This way, you are able to divide up customers and corral them into different departments depending on their needs. This way, instead of having, for example, 30 people waiting on one phone line, at the beginning of the call they can be directed to a separate line based on the specific inquiry that they have. This way, you would potentially end up with six people on five phone lines. This is a much faster way to have to go through. 

Automatic caller distribution is one easy way of doing this. This can also ensure that they are speaking to the most qualified person to assist them with their issue. This eliminates needless transfers across departments. Transfers can be frustrating for customers because they feel like they are not being listened to properly.

Take Steps to Make Your Business More Easily Accessible Today

If your business is growing, consider some of these strategies to ensure that your customers feel heard and taken care of. Once you're able to start effectively helping your customers, those same customers will be more likely to come back to your business knowing that they are actively considered and made to feel valued. With these quick and easy steps, you can help ensure that your company is memorable for its service.