Nobody likes to be put on hold. Customers want answers, service or troubleshooting right away. In fact, by the time they’ve called, they’re probably already impatient from the inconvenience of having to call. Having to sit on hold for 30 seconds or more is going to increase that impatience. Fortunately, there is a way to do it that will help ease a caller’s irritation.
How to professionally put a caller on hold
This is mostly common sense, but if you’re dealing with high volume, you may feel rushed and forget some of these pertinent tips.
- Explain the reason you’re putting the caller on hold.
- Before you place the caller on hold, ask for their phone number in case the call is disconnected.
- Try to provide a reasonable estimate for how long the hold will last.
- If the hold is lasting longer than anticipated, check back in with the caller. Ask if they would like to receive a call back.
- When returning to the call, apologize for the inconvenience and thank the call for their patience.
- Frequently use the caller’s name to personalize the caller’s experience instead of making them feel like a number in a queue.
You want to avoid the following when placing a caller on hold
- Don’t interrupt the caller to place them on hold. Wait for a natural pause before explaining you’ll be putting them on hold.
- Ask to put the caller on hold instead of just telling them.
- Don’t put a caller on hold multiple times in one call.
- Don’t let the caller wait for more than two minutes before checking in.
Avoid hold times altogether with live call answering
If you have a high call volume and are frequently having to place callers on hold, consider a virtual answering service. By forwarding your calls to live virtual receptionists, you’ll never need to put your callers on hold again. At VoiceNation, we can forward calls, answer callers’ basic questions, schedule appointments and we’re open days, nights, weekend and holidays.
How does live call answering work?
It’s so simple! All you do is forward your calls to us whenever you choose. We have customers who send us calls during peak hours, after hours, weekends and holidays. We also have customers who send us our calls 100% of the time. It’s completely up to you! When you send your calls to us, our friendly operators answer and take a message. We’ll then send you calls to you instantly through our mobile app, online dashboard, text and email. You can also prioritize contacts and have us forward those to you instead of taking a message.
Want to learn more? Check out our plans and pricing. We have no hidden fees or charges. All of our incredible features come with your plan! Take us for a test spin with our free, seven-day trial. Got questions? Give us a 877.679.3777.