• "Not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great because greatness is determined by service. " – Martin Luther King

• The Dancing Wu Li Masters – an overview of the new physics

Author: Gary Zukav Publisher: Rider & Co.

Zukav has an amazing ability to take what many consider a sterile, boring discipline and turn it into a rich, profound adventure which has become inseparable from philosophy. A great read.

• http://www.asamanthinketh.net/?lop One of the great classics of all time, James Allen’s "As a Man Thinketh" is available for you to download, and even better news, it’s FREE!

Whilst we may dream of a utopian world where all telephones are answered within three rings, it appears we are destined, for the next few years anyway, to seemingly spend half our waking hours waiting on hold on the telephone.

Quick thinking entrepreneurs realised this long ago and created technology, which I am sure you have all experienced, that supposedly keeps you entertained whilst waiting to speak to a human being. The theory of this technology is fine, as why wouldn’t customers prefer to listen to something rather than silence or, even worse, antiquated chimes ringing to the tune of ‘greensleeves’.

So the upside of listening to music and messages whilst waiting on hold is that it momentarily takes your customer’s focus and frustration off waiting and shifts their attention to listening, resulting in the perception of wasting less time than they actually are. But even with the best and most entertaining of prerecorded music or live radio, keep customers waiting too long, and they will happily take their business elsewhere. And why shouldn't they?

The downside of recorded messages, or let’s be honest, ‘advertisements’ on hold is that they often offend the very customers you are endeavouring to serve. The background to the problem is that people generally don’t like advertising, however most accept it as being a part of our everyday consumer society. They know that the price they pay for being able to watch ‘free to air’ television is to be bombarded with an endless barrage of advertisements. But that’s tolerated because they aren’t paying for it. When they watch cable television, they are paying for it and as such enjoy relatively ‘advert free’ viewing. When people make a telephone call, it’s they who are paying for the call. As such there is zero cost to the business in transmitting their advertisement to the customer.

There are other problems with ads on hold. One is that the ads are not changed frequently enough or the recording tape or disc is of insufficient length to carry a variety of messages. If your customers regularly call you, they do not want to be subjected to the same ads every time they call. Another problem is that some businesses seem to delight in subjecting callers to ‘crass’ advertisements that offend a high percentage of customers.

If you insist upon having ads or messages on hold, go for something that is more subtle and not likely to offend your customers, and make sure you keep the messages fresh by changing them at least every thirty days. Also, rather than just ‘sell, sell, sell’, provide your customers with information that is of both interest and value.

My first preference is to have my call answered within six to ten seconds. My second preference is to be greeted with a message that says "thank you for calling ABC, the receptionist is aware of your call and will be with you as quickly as possible. We apologise for the delay in attending to your call", and then listen to some light classical or popular music. The choice of music needs to be congruent with the predominant age, gender and preferences of your customers. If in doubt, ask your customers what they want.

My final point is this. Don’t take the word of the person selling you the equipment as to what’s best for you and your customers. Take the time to research your customers and find out what they would prefer. You work hard to attract good customers and hopefully you work even harder to keep them. Don’t undo all your good work by investing in advertising and technology that drives them away.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

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