Agents choice of music could be losing them sales
Travel agents risk losing customers by subjecting them to generic music while leaving them hanging on the phone, according to an audio branding specialist.
PHMG, which audited 184 travel firms, said 65% left customers listening to nothing but generic music while 18% subjected them to ‘annoying beeps’, 8% left them in silence and 5% forced them to listen to ringing.
Only 2% used ‘brand-consistent voice and music messaging’, which is considered the best practice to handling calls, said PHMG.
It claimed that waiting on hold is seen as a major bugbear for customers. PHMG sales and marketing director Mark Williamson said: "Call handling remains a critically undervalued element of customer service and marketing.
"A previous study of 1,000 UK consumers found 73 per cent will not do business with a company again if their first call isn’t handled satisfactorily."
PHMG did some research last year among more than 1,000 British consumers that found 51% feel more valued if they hear bespoke voice and music messages while waiting on hold, and 54 % believe a company using bespoke voice and music sounds more professional.
"Therefore, it is important companies do their utmost to improve the experience. The research shows there is still work to be done in providing an experience that keeps callers engaged and entertained.
"Generic music, beeps, ringing or silence convey a message that the customer is not valued, which will only serve to compound any annoyance felt as a result of being made to wait on hold., added Williamson."
The research also found 91% of travel agents do not use automated messages to greet customers who call outside normal working hours.
The number of agents playing repetitive music has risen 35% since a similar study was conducted in 2013, it said.
"The trends over the past three years suggest travel agents believe generic music is enough to keep callers entertained but this can actually have the opposite effect," added Williamson.
"An existing, generic piece of music should not be repurposed to convey a message it was never intended to, as its characteristics may not match those of the company."
PHMG recommends using on-hold marketing messages, which are frequently refreshed, to help keep customers engaged and avoid sound fatigue.
It claims that using bespoke messages cuts perceived waiting time and reduces caller hang-ups by up to 79%.
Agents also frequently complain that they’re left on hold by tour operators? Which ones have the best/worst music? Click on the Comment button below.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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