How many times have you gone through websites after websites to look for that customer care number and completed the arduous task only to be greeted by a “Thank you for holding. Your call is important to us. All our Customer Care Representatives are currently assisting other callers. Kindly hold the line and your call will be answered shortly.”? And might I add here that to pique the level of frustration the automated message goes on in repeat mode.
Senior management has only lately begun to realize that this message almost sounds the death knell for their companies as it results in consumer dissatisfaction and eventual disloyalty. A major share of companies have lost customers by putting them on hold. A radical change in the entire process of customer complaint/query redressal system was hence the need of the hour and the introduction of Virtual Hold technology is almost like a blessing for call centers from the heavens above.
Contact Center Software enabled with Virtual Hold technology lets the customer reserve a place in line and receive a call back from the system when it is his/her turn. The biggest advantage that Virtual Hold has over the archaic ‘please hold the line’ system is the option of call back from the system at a time which is convenient to the customer. One has the freedom to schedule the call at a specific time, for up to the next seven days and hence, you can spend the time you would have otherwise spent holding on to the call more judiciously.
The Virtual Hold technology gives the agents more time to address to each and every customer, and reduces the burden on them as well. The technology gathers user data from the previous call, stores it, and attaches it again during the call back, hence reducing redressal time and increasing productivity.
This new technology will help customers break out of the vicious circle of calling up a call centre, connecting to one agent after an endless wait and discussing the issue at hand, more often than not the call disconnects and then you are left with no option but to repeat the exercise.
In today’s fast paced world, where it is difficult for professionals to take time out for even their families, it is akin to a fatal exercise to test their patience and let them fritter away time on seemingly simple things like making a call to the customer care for a problem redressal. Virtual Hold technology is therefore a vital tool to be incorporated into the call centre work format to enhance the quality of the customer experience and help retain them in the long run.