Hold the phone!
New research from audio branding specialist PHMG has brought insurers’ call handling standards into question.
PHMG conducted a study into telephone practice, auditing 360 firms in the insurance trade, and found that the large majority risk losing custom by subjecting customers on hold to generic music and audio.
Although waiting on hold is typically considered a nuisance, the research found that 42 per cent of insurance companies still leave customers listening to generic music – 20 per cent to beeps, 18 per cent to silence and 16 per cent to ringing.
Brand-consistent voice and music messaging was found to be viewed as the best practice approach to handling calls. However, only three per cent of companies employ this practice.
“Call handling remains a critically undervalued element of customer service and marketing,” said Mark Williamson, sales and marketing director at PHMG. “A previous study of 1,000 UK consumers found 73 per cent will not do business with a company again if their first call isn’t handled satisfactorily.”
Williamson highlighted the importance that companies do their utmost to improve the experience: “Insurance companies appear to be performing better than the majority of British businesses in this respect but there is still work to be done in providing an experience that keeps callers engaged and entertained.”
He added that generic music, beeps, ringing or silence convey a message that the customer is not valued and that this will only add to any annoyance felt as a result of being made to wait on hold.
The research also found that 93 per cent of insurers do not use auto attendant messaging to greet customers who call up outside of working hours. “It’s essential to give careful consideration to what people hear whenever they make contact with your company,” Williamson concluded. “Hearing is one of our most powerful emotional senses, so the sounds customers hear when they call a business will create a long-lasting impression.”