Music and messages on hold can be a tricky thing. Let me share some thoughts with you on how to make the combo work for you.
I just got off the phone with a graphic designer who is working on a website and logo design project for me. Of course I'm trying to get the concepts and images in my mind to his mind. We were talking about not only this specific project and our attempts to communicate with each other but also that process generally of one person trying to communicate something subjective to another person. Just before he hung up, he made an insightful statement: "You can talk about the technical specifics forever and never get there; sometimes you just have to see it or hear it and say, "Yeah, that's it!"
The previous post of this blog considered the fact that the world is made up of what we might call "thinkers" and "feelers" and virtually all people are really some mix of both. No matter what the communication medium from email to radio advertising to messages and music on hold, you can enhance its effectiveness by keeping that "combo" idea of thinking and feeling in mind. An average sampling of customers calling your phone system will include some people who want you to "bottom line it" for them and others who want you to tell them stories and paint pictures. It might be safe to assume that some combination of the two approaches is generally a good strategy. As I said in an earlier post, "people do business with people". Customers need to feel they can trust you and they relate to you on some level. If everything else is equal between you and your competition, you'll win the day if your customers are more comfortable with who you are as a person - or who your people are as people.
Being "nice" or likeable is not the point, however. You must be perceived as an expert. Moreover, you must really be an expert, and you must give your customers the specific information and answers they need. The trick is finding a way to communicate your expertise in an appealing and relevant way. Your customers must know that not only are you a competent professional, you also hear them as people and understand their situation, issues, needs, and objectives. It's basic, "customer service 101", and it applies to your messages and music on hold as much as any other area of your communications.
I just got off the phone with a graphic designer who is working on a website and logo design project for me. Of course I'm trying to get the concepts and images in my mind to his mind. We were talking about not only this specific project and our attempts to communicate with each other but also that process generally of one person trying to communicate something subjective to another person. Just before he hung up, he made an insightful statement: "You can talk about the technical specifics forever and never get there; sometimes you just have to see it or hear it and say, "Yeah, that's it!"
The previous post of this blog considered the fact that the world is made up of what we might call "thinkers" and "feelers" and virtually all people are really some mix of both. No matter what the communication medium from email to radio advertising to messages and music on hold, you can enhance its effectiveness by keeping that "combo" idea of thinking and feeling in mind. An average sampling of customers calling your phone system will include some people who want you to "bottom line it" for them and others who want you to tell them stories and paint pictures. It might be safe to assume that some combination of the two approaches is generally a good strategy. As I said in an earlier post, "people do business with people". Customers need to feel they can trust you and they relate to you on some level. If everything else is equal between you and your competition, you'll win the day if your customers are more comfortable with who you are as a person - or who your people are as people.
Being "nice" or likeable is not the point, however. You must be perceived as an expert. Moreover, you must really be an expert, and you must give your customers the specific information and answers they need. The trick is finding a way to communicate your expertise in an appealing and relevant way. Your customers must know that not only are you a competent professional, you also hear them as people and understand their situation, issues, needs, and objectives. It's basic, "customer service 101", and it applies to your messages and music on hold as much as any other area of your communications.
About the Author:
Learn more about Music on hold. Stop by Tim Holdon's site where you can find out all about Music on hold systems and what it can do for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment