From the smallest to the largest, every interaction your business has with customers involves marketing. This includes what a customer encounters when he or she calls your business. Although how a phone is answered may seem like a small matter, it is, in fact, an action that helps a customer determine whether to do business with a company or not. With that in mind, I was amazed at the voice message I heard yesterday when I called a local grocery store.
“Hi, this is the Festival guy. We’re glad you called Festival Foods in Eau Claire. Let me see if I can help you find the person or department you’re looking for.
“If you need a custom order from our scratch bakery, press 1.
“To talk to our incredible meat people, press 2.
“If you’d like information on our fabulous deli and catering, press 3.
“To speak to our produce experts, press 4.
“For the wine and spirits department, dial 5.
“Or, stay on the line and someone from the customer service counter will assist you.
“From everyone here at Festival Foods, make it a great day!”
Several factors of this message amazed me. First, management was using its corporate spokesperson to voice the phone message. The “Festival guy” as he calls himself has a commanding voice and speaks in an energetic, enthusiastic tone. He also voices the grocery’s television and radio commercials. Customers readily identify him and his voice with the store. Threading his voice and friendly presence onto the phone message employs consistency and repetition. He immediately makes customers like me feel welcome. Recognizing his voice, I felt like someone who cared was leading me through the maze of how to reach the person or department I wanted.
He added to my feeling by speaking in clear and conversational language. Notice that he began by saying he was glad I called and he would help me “reach the person or department I was looking for.” He continued to go through each department with an appealing statement about each one. For the bakery, he mentioned custom order and scratch, three descriptive words regarding baked goods. He called the meat people incredible, the produce people experts, and the deli and catering people fabulous, all very complimentary terms.
He carried his friendly tone to the end by prompting me to “Make it a great day!”
While I waited for customer service to answer, I uttered aloud, What an excellent message. Very well done!
Call your company and listen to how your phone is answered. Does the message make customers feel welcome? Does it help them easily find the person or department they want to reach? Does it leave them with a good feeling even at the end?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What phone message has impressed you? E-mail me your answer.
“Hi, this is the Festival guy. We’re glad you called Festival Foods in Eau Claire. Let me see if I can help you find the person or department you’re looking for.
“If you need a custom order from our scratch bakery, press 1.
“To talk to our incredible meat people, press 2.
“If you’d like information on our fabulous deli and catering, press 3.
“To speak to our produce experts, press 4.
“For the wine and spirits department, dial 5.
“Or, stay on the line and someone from the customer service counter will assist you.
“From everyone here at Festival Foods, make it a great day!”
Several factors of this message amazed me. First, management was using its corporate spokesperson to voice the phone message. The “Festival guy” as he calls himself has a commanding voice and speaks in an energetic, enthusiastic tone. He also voices the grocery’s television and radio commercials. Customers readily identify him and his voice with the store. Threading his voice and friendly presence onto the phone message employs consistency and repetition. He immediately makes customers like me feel welcome. Recognizing his voice, I felt like someone who cared was leading me through the maze of how to reach the person or department I wanted.
He added to my feeling by speaking in clear and conversational language. Notice that he began by saying he was glad I called and he would help me “reach the person or department I was looking for.” He continued to go through each department with an appealing statement about each one. For the bakery, he mentioned custom order and scratch, three descriptive words regarding baked goods. He called the meat people incredible, the produce people experts, and the deli and catering people fabulous, all very complimentary terms.
He carried his friendly tone to the end by prompting me to “Make it a great day!”
While I waited for customer service to answer, I uttered aloud, What an excellent message. Very well done!
Call your company and listen to how your phone is answered. Does the message make customers feel welcome? Does it help them easily find the person or department they want to reach? Does it leave them with a good feeling even at the end?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What phone message has impressed you? E-mail me your answer.
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