CX Science: queue location is the best time filler for contact centers
What:
The sense of progress we make on a queue impacts our satisfaction when calling a contact center more than perceived waiting time.
Consequently, queue location words better than music and apologies as time fillers.
Now what:
Use queue location as a time filler in your contact center as this will give them a sense of progress.
At one point or another, we will all be in a situation in which we are on hold with a company's contact center. Every now and then we will call a contact center, and chances are that we will not get connected with a service agent immediately.
How can companies better manage this experience? What are the small things that can make us feel better while waiting on the line?
Nira Munichor and Anat Rafaeli set off to investigate. They wondered which of the three time fillers work best:
music
apologies: "We apologize for the delay." or "We will be with your shortly."
queue location information (what's your position in the queue).
They found out that music and apologies are not different in consumers' reactions: call abandonment or satisfaction. Both give the same output.
What does make a difference is if you provide a queue location. Call abandonment is almost twice lower when people receive an indication of their location in the queue, and caller satisfaction is considerably higher.
What account for this effect? I think companies often play music with the good intention to make waiting time look shorter. The thing is, Munichor and Rafaeli found no evidence that perceived waiting time impacts caller satisfaction or call abandonment.
What did have a major impact on call abandonment was the sense of progress callers experienced. And in that respect, it was the queue location information, logically, that performed the best.
In a nutshell, providing location information increases the sense of progress, which then increases call satisfaction and decreases call abandonment rate. To make your customers happier while waiting on the line, give them a sense of progress.
My best wishes for a great day ahead!
CX Inspirations - card 24
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