Let’s not kid ourselves, there isn't a single customer that enjoys entering a call center queue. However, there are cases in which customers will wait. Smart call queue software attempts to make the whole experience more pleasant through several approaches.
One way to make call center queuing feel more tolerable is to tell inbound callers exactly what to expect. Letting your customers know how many people are ahead of them in the queue enables them to roughly estimate how much time they have to be patient. This allows them to get on with other tasks in the meantime, while keeping their place in line, or to abandon the call altogether and try again later. Simple call queuing software is usually capable of this. A call queue system that can quote the exact number of minutes remaining before a customer’s call will be attended to is even better.
Another way of alleviating boredom in a call center queue is to add music. However, tinny elevator music on loop is difficult for anyone to endure, so make sure playlists are crisp, varied, calming, and catered to mainstream tastes. Aircall offers 12 royalty free sounds from our integrated media library, or you can upload your own tune.
A third technique to motivate customers to stay on the line is to occasionally play pre-recorded on-hold messages. As is the case with on-hold music, make sure these messages are varied, genuine and clearly spoken. Aircall offers a broad range of pre-recorded text-to-speech (TTS) options in 16 different languages and 15 different voice styles. You can also upload your own custom spoken messages.
Finally, advanced call queuing software offers a call back or voicemail option to inbound callers entering a call center queue. This gives the customer a feeling of control, allows busy customers to be attended to even when they don’t have time to wait, and relieves the waiting burden on other callers in the queue as well as the department handling the calls. A win-win for everyone.