Guest blog by David Richardson, Premier CX

I’ll start by declaring my credentials – I’ve been working with audio in various ways since the very late 90s, and I’ve specialised with audio in telephone systems for going on 5 years.

But I’ve been buying products and services for longer than both. It’s that personal, customer perspective that I always start with when assessing any telephone experience. Because as customers, consciously or unconsciously, we’re rating an organisation every time we call.

As that customer, and as a consultant, I’m going to lay out what I want to hear when I pick up the phone.

Branded

By which I mean it should reflect who the caller is as a brand. So that means a ‘welcome’ message should be the first thing a caller hears. Now they know they’ve called the right number. The voice they hear on any telephone system should reflect that organisation and how they want to be perceived, which is another reason for them to choose a professional voice. The language used on any scripting should also reflect that brand e.g., it could be formal or laid-back and friendly?

Bundling professional voicing into your service wrap opens up new revenue streams for you, and differentiates your solution from the competition.

Audible

If callers can’t make out what’s being said, it’s a losing battle from the start. You wouldn’t want a bad line quality, so why deliver sub-standard audio whilst callers are queuing or on-hold?

Working with us, you choose a professional voice, use professional recording equipment and audio is edited by a professional studio. It means no background noise, no errors and none of the heavy breathing or clicks and buzzes produced by recording through a telephone or a headset.

Furthermore – any music tracks should be suitable for the telephony network, which compresses files to remove high and low notes. A track may sound great on your computer, but has it been optimised for telephony transmission?

Simple

When a caller reaches an IVR – they want simplicity and straightforward language to make it clear which option to select.

An IVR should always assume a first-time caller, who doesn’t know how to navigate their system, unless dynamic or personalised menus are used. Small and medium sized organisations can score here, because their menus are generally less complex, and more agile, than the larger corporations.

Relevant

Any information on a telephone system should be relevant to the caller. Stating the company name is relevant, compliance messages are relevant, and the right promotional or informational messages can be too. Promotions and information sit well in the in-queue and on-hold space, but they do need to be current. Out of date messages can cause confusion and give the impression that an organisation is not paying attention.

Using this advice when curating your on-hold and in-queue audio ensures you’re able to provide excellent CX. A professional service is what customers expect, and it contributes directly to the credibility of a company or organisation.

Want some more good news? We can support businesses of any type and size – just get in touch by emailing info@premierbusinessaudio.co.uk