Avoid these Potential Pitfalls through Effective Call Auditing

The word ‘audit’ isn’t the most exciting word in the English dictionary.  It’s associated with investigations, headaches and extra work dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Yet we all know how important the work is and how valuable an audit can be. Companies regularly audit their financials, their processes and staff performance, but all too often there’s an audit blind spot doing ongoing harm to the brand and customer perceptions of the organisation.

So… have you audited the customer experience provided by your contact centre lately?

If you did, was it just the numbers you looked at or did you actually call in and consider what you were hearing?

A poor choice of music, the wrong tone of voice, poor scripting… the list goes on, and it’s all too easy for brands to fall flat, leaving callers unimpressed and aggravated.  Let’s face it, poor experiences can lead to bad reviews which can lead to money loss. Existing clients may switch to the competition and new clients are less likely to sign up. A Rockefeller Corporation study showed that up to 82% of customers will leave if they don’t feel that they are cared for. There’s a lot to consider when you audit the experience, but three things that are often neglected have already been mentioned: Music, tone of voice and scripts… so let’s have a look at these:

Music

There are many reasons on hold music can sound poor.  Whether there are compression issues, repetitive loops or outdated and off-brand tracks, getting a good balance is critical and here’s why.  The use of the right music can influence a caller’s mood.  Let’s face it, the last thing you want to do is aggravate someone who is already irritated because their sweater never turned up or their sink has exploded, and they need to speak to you NOW.  I’m not saying music will solve their issues, but it may help put them in a better frame of mind.  So where do you begin when choosing the right track for your telephony system? 

• Think of who you are and the values of your company, are you modern, classy, hi-tech or rooted in heritage?
• What demographic are you appealing to? You’ll want music that doesn’t alienate those key customers.
• What line is the customer calling? A line dedicated to tackling customer complaints might not benefit from a big, bouncy, feel-good tune.
• What’s the wait time? A two minute loop won’t suit a ten minute wait.

One excellent piece of news is that you don’t have to fall back on cliché classical music to avoid licence fees.  Companies like Premier CX have a great variety of licence free tracks and extensive experience selecting music that will sound great and fit your brand. 

Tone of Voice

Have you ever spoken to someone but found that something wasn’t quite right? Perhaps they seemed to be speaking in a monotone or they used language that didn’t quite suit their personalities, like an English gentleman getting ‘down with the kids’.  TOV is a wonderful thing that can give your brand an identity. Now it’s unlikely, but maybe you got lucky and Joe Smith from accounting really is a natural when it comes to voice recordings. Even if he is, do his accent and tone really represent who you are as a business?  Is he the right age? Do you want a male voice? Did he record those messages on professional equipment? It’s quite possible that the answer is “no” to some of those questions.

The right voice, professionally produced will be leaps and bounds ahead in style, brand association, clarity and credibility with your customers.

Scripting/Messages

Scripting is one of the key areas that can be improved by keeping it simple and straight to the point. What is your main aim as a company? What experience do you want to give that all important caller?  Are there any pain points you could address, like longer waits at peak times?  The use of clever messaging can welcome callers, deflect callers, and provide a more positive and engaging experience.  Avoid lengthy, complex messages and throw away repetitive, tired lines like ‘please press’ and ‘your call is important’.  A little imagination can go along way when creating a script that will fit your brand.

These three areas aren’t the be-all and end-all, but they’re a really good place to start when you audit your contact centre experience. Premier CX have immense experience auditing and helping private and public sector organisations tackle these essentials and more. Contact us and find out how our music, professional voices and copywriting skills can take your customer experience to the next level.