‘Don’t hang up!’

According to audio branding specialist PHMG, callers to North American logistics and couriers who are placed on hold may be compelled to hang up faster due the music selection or lack thereof.    When it comes to phone etiquette, the North American logistics and courier industry has more work to do to sweeten the customer experience.
   That’s the conclusion of a recent study undertaken by audio branding specialist, PHMG.
   PHMG found during its study that calls placed to North American companies in the logistics and courier industry were placed on hold 70 percent of the time. Callers waited on the line an average of 28.39 seconds, which is just slightly less than the global average of holding 39.26 seconds. 
   “To make matters worse, they are left listening to inappropriate audio, which could increase the risk of caller hang-ups,” PHMG said.
   The firm’s research found that 41 percent of logistics companies subject their callers to generic music, while 29 percent leave callers waiting in silence, 15 percent use beeps and 9 percent make callers listen to ringing. 
   This latest study also found logistics firms answer the phone within an average of two rings, but only five percent of those businesses were found to use an “auto-attendant” service to greet callers outside normal business hours.
   “The research results do not reflect particularly well on the logistics and courier sector, as few firms appear to be employing a best practice approach to call handling,” said Mark Williamson, PHMG’s CEO, in a statement. 
   He added that this type of phone call management “increases the risk of hang-ups.”
   An earlier study of 2,234 U.S. consumers found that 59 percent will not conduct business with a company if they’re dissatisfied by the first call.