Last night (Channel 4, 8pm), actor Richard Wilson, in his inimitable style, questioned the concept of being kept “On Hold”. While you can be forgiven for believing we might resent any kind of criticism of the telephone audio industry, we welcome this kind of critique into whether companies are giving their customers a good Customer Experience.

The programme was entertaining (you couldn’t help but laugh at Richard’s experiences of trying to book cinema tickets) but it also tackled some fairly common mistakes that businesses make when it comes to dealing with callers.

Regardless of the fact that many people would rather speak instantly to a real person, these days it’s an unrealistic expectation. Businesses don’t have an endless supply of customer service agents, and during busy or surprise peaks in caller traffic their ability to mobilise teams will be put to the test. Therefore, an element of hold or transfer time is an unavoidable, necessary evil, especially when waiting to speak to a specialist regarding a specific type of enquiry.

As a leading provider of On Hold audio (we call it Telephone Branding), we help businesses ensure that when it is necessary to put customers on hold, they deliver informative, useful and helpful audio to callers. Rather than (as we know is still sadly the case) annoying beeps, silence or Greensleeves.

However, we also believe that good on hold audio is no excuse for lengthy call waiting times and questionable customer service, so we work closely with our clients to evaluate all aspects of the customer journey – from the moment the caller enters the system.

The research panel created by Richard consisted of members of the public from the ‘upper’ age scale, together with some students. Perhaps not the most socially varied focus group, but they did do a fairly good job at collecting waiting time data.

Being put on hold for a lengthy time can be an annoyance. The wrong kind of audio will only make matters worse. The programme contained many clips of what we would consider questionable and often redundant phraseology, such as the classic (and universally annoying) ‘your call is important to us’.

The right audio can reduce the perceived waiting time and reduce the annoyance factor. Taking steps to improve what you play whilst callers are ‘on hold’ can even help; for example, by delivering answers to frequently asked questions.

When it comes to automated telephone menus (IVR), used correctly they can help callers reach the correct department quicker. Imagine being passed from pillar to post in a massive company in order to speak to the right person. The automation in this case can actually reduce the time it takes to get an answer to a specific issue.

However, when it comes to voice recognition, I think we will put that topic on hold.

Our top tip to business owners, managers and CEOs: Call your own company.

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and avoid using your colleagues’ direct dial or mobile number for a couple of weeks. Live the customer experience for yourself.

Ask yourself: Who is the voice on the welcome message? Are they representative of the business? Have I been cut off because the transfer/hold was silent? Is a tacky rendition of Greensleeves really representative of my brand? Are my agents dealing with calls as effectively as possible?

Visit Fresh Air Studios On Hold Marketing