1 – Make sure your customer can find your contact information very easily. Place it prominently on your website and in your email signature.
2 – Exchange contact information, especially telephone numbers, with a customer when making an appointment with them.
3 – Where possible, give them a direct phone number or telephone extension instead of a main number where they might have to wait on hold, even if the direct number is not toll-free.
4 – If you’re going to be late to an appointment, let them know BEFORE the scheduled time. Call if it’s an in-person appointment, email if you can’t make the conference call, etc.
5 – If you have a customer on hold update them every five minutes, even it’s just to say you’re still waiting for an answer. Through email, update them at least once every business day.
6 – For telephone queues, the automated attendant should inform your customers how long the projected hold time will be. This should be updated at least every three minutes.
Proactive communication is the single most important aspect of any relationship you will ever have, and nearly all of these techniques can be implemented at essentially zero cost. Always be on the lookout for situations where a customer is left on hold, figuratively speaking, and use some proactive communication to get them off hold.
