“Hello, I am finishing up with another customer. It will take me about 2 minutes to finish up. Do you mind holding, please?”
Have you ever called a company and immediately been put on hold? If so, how does that make you feel? In this quick video, you’ll learn simple and effective customer service tips for putting people on and off hold. As my gift to you for watching, click here to receive your FREE copy of my 21-point customer service leadership tips checklist (5 sections broken down into 21 points).
Real World Story: Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, is more frustrating than spending an enormous amount of time navigating a company’s phone tree: verifying the phone number associated with your account, entering your zip code, giving the last four digits of your social security number, pressing the right number on your phone to get to the right department, entering the right number for the reason of your call—only to be placed in a queue. And then eventually hearing a live voice say, “Please hold.” And just like that, immediately, they’re gone. And you’re on hold again. Not asked to hold, but told to hold. And don’t get me started on having your phone call unexpectedly dropped at any point during such a frustrating phone call!
Adding insult to injury, the live voice finally returns and asks, “Who am I speaking to?” Are you serious? Ugh!!!
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Explain the hold. “Please hold.” That’s a bit harsh if you ask me. How about trying something like, “Hello, I am finishing up with another customer. It will take me about 2 minutes to finish up. Do you mind holding, please?” And then waiting for an answer.
- Address your customer by name. Again, simply telling your customer to hold is off-putting, so how about trying something like, “Thank you for calling, Dave (or) Jenny. Do you mind holding for two (more) minutes while I finish up with a customer I’m already helping?” Can you see the difference?
Remember: Nothing makes a person who has been on hold or who needs to be placed on hold feel like an important contributor to your company than to be asked—and not told—to be placed on hold and to be addressed by his or her name. These two small considerations make people feel like they’re not just a number to be processed but as an actual person who matters.
What do you do to ensure that when a customer calls and needs to be placed on hold, he or she does does not feel like just a number but an actual person?