Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!umich!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Kevin Collins Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Why Companies Use Music On Hold Message-ID: <13752@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 17 Oct 90 17:19:58 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: Aspect Telecommunications, San Jose, Ca Lines: 34 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 742, Message 4 of 11 After reading all of the postings on use and abuse of {Music,Silence, Hawk} On Hold, voice menu systems, etc., I get the distinct impression that (some of) the readers of this forum may not realize why companies use these features. Bottom line: companies that receive incoming calls (for sales, service, or whatever) want callers to stay on the line. Any time the customer can't get through, his resentment meter inches ever closer to the red line. MOH makes *most* people feel more comfortable on the line, so they wait longer before hanging up. Voice menu systems, if done correctly, give better response time to the customer AND reduce costs for the call center (by automating simple tasks, like account balance lookup). It is for these reasons (and others) that companies use services such as MOH (NOT because they have "callous disregard for their customers"). Call center managers *do* view callers who hang up while on hold as lost revenue. One of the main features of an automatic call distributor (ACD) is the statistics the system keeps on "avg. time on hold" and other such categories - the manager of the call center uses this info to make decisions about staffing, performance, etc. If you're bothered by the way a company handles (your) incoming calls, let them know what you want! If they get enough complaints [and have a decent ACD! :-)], they will be more than happy to change. I'm sure not all companies are sensitive to the needs of their customers; any *successful* company, IMHO, *must* be. Kevin Collins | Aspect Telecommunications USENET: ...uunet!aspect!kevinc | San Jose, CA Voice: +1 408 441 2489 | My opinions are mine alone.