We’ve all been stuck on hold, listening to the same music play over and over again. It’s a frustrating process that can make customers who already have a problem get even angrier than before they started the call.
Is there a solution to this problem? Yes, it’s called courtesy callback.
What Is a Courtesy Callback?
A courtesy callback is when you give a customer waiting on hold the option of having an agent call them back without losing their spot in the queue. Customers appreciate this because it frees them to do other things while they wait for a callback instead of having to listen carefully for when the agent gets on the line.
If the customer agrees to this, they’ll leave their full name and phone number and then wait for their phone to ring with a callback.
When Should You Offer a Callback Option?
Part of perfecting courtesy callbacks is picking the right time to offer the option to the client. You should provide the option if wait times exceed the average service level. The average service level depends on the type of business and how large the business is.
If the wait time is more than 20 minutes, offer the courtesy callback option after about a minute.
Why Is it Important to Your Business?
Offering courtesy callbacks is essential to any business because it affects customer service and sales.
Better Customer Service
Offering this option makes for better customer service.
People hate waiting. Promptly replying to customers is crucial enough that 90% of consumers rate an immediate response as important or very important when they have a customer service question.
But what is an immediate response?
The average is around 10 minutes or fewer.
By offering a courtesy callback option, you offer an immediate response. You let customers know they aren’t stuck in waiting for purgatory and have the power to choose. They can decide between staying on hold or hanging up and receiving a return call.
A courtesy callback service also improves your brand’s image, because it tells customers you care about their time.
Increased Profits
Providing good customer service means more profits for your business. A good customer service experience is essential to 58% of consumers in their choice of brand. An additional 37% found it important, meaning that overall, 95% of consumers value good customer service.
And keeping current customers happy is less expensive than trying to gain new ones.
Reduce Abandonment Rates
Courtesy callbacks will dramatically reduce abandonment rates. When customers wait too long, they’ll hang up, abandon the call, and not call back. Not only is it important to keep abandonment rates low, but hang-ups can also lead to increased repeat customer calls.
If a customer continues to call, again and again, they’ll grow more frustrated and tie up lines. A frustrated customer means a potentially lost customer.
Improved Agent Productivity
Courtesy callbacks even help with call agents’ productivity. Because you give customers a choice to wait on hold or receive a callback, agents deal with fewer unhappy customers.
With fewer unhappy customers, calls are shorter, meaning a single agent can help more customers within a day.
Plus, call agents’ morale will increase if customers aren’t yelling at them for long wait times.
Increased Leads
It might surprise you that courtesy callbacks can help increase lead generation. Because a customer or lead needs to put in their full name and phone number to get called back, it can make it easier to follow up with leads later.
Another bonus is that the customer’s information is stored in your system, which you can use later for marketing or outreach.
Offer the Best Customer Service With ROI Call Center Solutions
Outsourcing your calls to a call center makes sense. When you spend all day fielding calls, you neglect other aspects of your business.
But you need to pick the right call center to optimize your business. This is where ROI Call Center Solutions can help.
We offer services to better serve you and your customers—from customer service calls, lead generation, and data collection.
Get a free quote today to learn more about how we can help your business grow.