We'll Get Back toYou...Maybe

My daughter lives in Atlanta and belongs to a gym. Since two of her three children are ages six and eight, she called the gym to take advantage of the free swim lessons they offer. When she called the customer service line, she was directed to the swim director. She got an automated response which repeatedly promised that she would return the call within two to three days! Not “as soon as possible” or “within 24 hours” but in two to three days!

She also was interested in taking a Pilates class, and left a message yesterday morning for a callback. A day and a half later, she still hasn’t gotten a return call.

Knowing the Metro Atlanta Area, I would guess that there are quite a few gyms and other facilities that offer exercise programs. There are probably a few businesses, city facilities and YMCAs that offer swim lessons—maybe not for free, but at a reasonable price. It is unthinkable that a business would let a prospective customer wait for two to three days before calling back. That prospect can call a competitor immediately from their cell phone who wants their business and get the services they need.

Automated call response is a great tool to make contact with a customer when a human being isn’t available to take a call. However, it should never be used for the mere convenience of the business to put off responding to a customer. Asking a customer to wait two to three days for a response is insulting. “You have to wait for me,” is the message, and the customer doesn’t have confidence that after that long of a delay they will be called at all. Even if the services are free, their value is diminished by poor customer service.

Here are some things to consider when setting up your automated response system:

1. Use it only as a backup. Getting a live person at the end of the line is a rare occasion and sets you apart. The good will and customer loyalty you get from being responsive translates into revenue, repeat business and free referrals.
2. Promise a prompt response. Twenty-four hours is the maximum. And be sure to make someone responsible for retrieving emails first thing in the morning so they can schedule callbacks early in the day.
3. Change the message daily. With the snowy weather cancelling a lot of services this past week, customers need to know whether you are open day to day. An old, outdated voicemail message says you are unprofessional, don’t care about your customers and don’t value their business--three negative messages you can avoid by updating your message daily.
4. Be clear and friendly. Give as much detail as possible. Say it in a friendly voice. And be sure to give the correct callback numbers, web addresses and email addresses.
5. Give alternate options for contact. Cell phone numbers for emergencies and email addresses give customers multiple ways of getting in touch and let them know it is important to you that their needs are met.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a workplace consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for CSJobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and creating original gift items available on http://www.etsy.spoolhardy.com/ You can read more of her blogs at csjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt