IVR is short for Interactive Voice Response, an automated system that uses a touch response telephone to direct your call. You will have one of these if you have multiple departments with lots of incoming calls.
60% of callers put on a silent on-hold hang up within 40 seconds and callers put on-hold with information and music will stay about 3 minutes longer.
55% of communication is lost over the phone (body language), leaving us with 38% through tone of voice and just 7% through words.
As you can see from the statistics, giving the wrong message in the wrong tone could actually damage your sales and your reputation.
Many companies spend time and money on their visual branding (logo and leaflets) but neglect their telephone audio. “Your sonic branding is as important as your visual branding!”
This article looks at some of the common mistakes made with IVR and on-hold marketing. It also outlines some good techniques to use.
