The Importance of First Impressions in a Virtual World

First impressions are important, even more so via the phone. As a business owner, you will not be able to answer every call personally. When designing your voicemail, take a few moments to consider the first impression that your callers will receive. First impressions are made quickly – within the first seven seconds – and take a lot of effort to fix if you start off on the wrong foot.
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Hold Music and the Customer Service Experience

Researching “On-Hold Music” reveals an extensive amount of information on the topic. It is an entire industry in itself, plus there are numerous opinions, studies, and articles that focus solely on the type of music you should play for customers when you put them on hold.

NPR’s MarketPlace recently featured a segment discussing “What Makes You Happy When Your Call Is Put on Hold?” This piece explored the evolution of the industry and how hold music can impact customer satisfaction.

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What is Your Hold Music?

What’s the worst hold music you have ever listened to?
I found some that people really dislike.

Some people theorize that companies use bad music to encourage customers to hang up before they have to talk to them.  I have a different theory.  I think companies use music that they think either fits the theme of “please hold” (Hold On, Jeopardy theme, Hold Me Now) or is “safe”.

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