The Difference Between Speech and Writing. The Difference Between Speech and Writing Do you write the way you speak? Do you speak the way you write? Probably not. Although talking and writing are forms of communication, they're often very different. Writing is, in general, a more formal pursuit than speaking. When writing, we tend to take our time, add punctuation, re-read sentences, and think about our words. The way we write is just plain different than the way we speak, and that's okay - for the reasons I outlined above, it's supposed to be. But what about when you're writing something that's supposed to be spoken? That's where things get a little tricky.
Interestingly, people frequently use contractions and don't realize it. Here is an example. But if I were to rewrite those statements with some contractions, it would have a more readable flow: Here's an example. As you can see, it's all about balance. 5 Examples of Funny Voicemail Greetings-and why you should avoid them. 5 Examples of Funny Voicemail Greetings & why you should avoid them A funny voicemail greeting is one of those things that seems like a good idea...until you hear it time and time again. For business and professional life, a funny cell phone message just doesn't make sense. Here are 5 examples of funny phone greetings...and why you shouldn't use them on your cell.
The Voicemail Greeting Song Made famous by George Costanza, the answering machine song sometimes seems like a good idea: it's out of the box, unexpected, and definitely a novelty. But unless you're in the music business, it's probably not a good idea. The "Fake Hello" Be honest...you've been fooled by this one before, haven't you? The Rude-Statement-Instead-Of-Nice-Message This is a true story: my friend's voicemail says, "Hi, you've reached Dave, I'm screening your call. " The Cutoff-On-Purpose Voicemail Greeting Using your cell phone to record a voicemail message isn't always easy. The Joker Is your refrigerator running? Defining Message On Hold Objectives. The key to creating well-optimized on hold marketing programs is starting with well defined objectives. How can you write a great script and great content if you don't know what your goals are?
Here are some common Message On Hold programming objectives and how to structure your content to achieve them: Entertain. Do you want to make hold time fun, interesting, and entertaining? Consider using some creative methods to fill your hold time. Quizbowl style questions, "Did you know... " fun facts, and playing your most recent podcast can make time spent on hold enjoyable.
When you decide your marketing goals, it's easy to put together interesting content. Lessons For Your Next Virtual Tour From the Google Art Project. Have you heard of the Google Art Project? It turns out, Google has been using its space-capturing technology all over the world. From the comfort of your computer screen, you can visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the State Hermitage Museum in St.
Petersburg, and many other major museums. The benefit: a worldwide audience can now access priceless works of art from any computer, no airplane required. Instant access to the world’s highest of high art. The problem: It’s not particularly well done. Use the shortcomings of the Art Project to improve your next virtual tour: Poor Image Quality, an all too common error. Google might be one of the biggest players on the internet, but it isn’t necessarily an authority when it comes to creating virtual tours and visualizations of real life spaces. What’s your favorite virtual tour? My Overhead Music Experience at the Mall. My Overhead Music Experience at the Mall Sound can be a powerful tool in marketing strategies. In retail setting specifically, overhead music can have tremendous impact. As it turns out, the absence of music can also be a powerful factor in consumer buying decisions.
I personally noticed the effects of retail store background music on a recent shopping trip. My first stop was a very well known department store; one you can find in most shopping centers throughout the country. As I was browsing the departments, I felt oddly unwelcome and uncomfortable. During my trip, I also visited two much smaller, but very popular, clothing stores. Then, there was a store in the “Goldilocks Zone.” Like the department store, this shop had a broad customer base: children, teens, men, women. Simply put, the best music for stores is music that is appealing to shoppers. Click here to learn more about our Overhead Music and Marketing Solution. Thinking Outside the Message On Hold Box. Ensuring Correct Pronunciations in Message On Hold Scripts. Ensuring Correct Pronunciations in Message On Hold Scripts Speech is a largely unconscious process.
We might think about what we want to say, but we intuitively know how to say certain words, acceptable volumes, and where to place pauses. Depending on where you live and what dialect of a language you speak, there might be differences in pronunciation. In English, “stresses” are important indicators of words and their meaning, but there is no definite pattern that outlines which syllables are to be accented. Pronunciation is important because it helps define meaning. For example, what does this word mean? Produce If you said, “vegetables,” you’re correct. You are writing for a voice talent who has to read your script clearly and correctly. Don’t be afraid to write out the pronunciation for any words, regardless of the accepted spelling. Why is pronunciation so important?
Daylight Savings Time Reminder. Emoticons, the limitations of text, and the need for internet audio. Emoticons, the limitations of text, and the need for internet audio :) :( :P Do you know what any of these symbols mean? You probably do—they’re emoticons, the tool we use to show emotions online. The first modern emoticon was proposed by Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon in 1982 as a “Character sequence for joke markers.” Fahlman was used to posting online and was disheartened when his sarcastic comments were taken seriously. Since Falhman’s first emoticons in 1982, things have gotten a little out of control. Various online chat services, even Facebook Chat, turn emoticons into picture. Why Emoticons? Sure, they’re cute, but why do we need emoticons at all?
Emoticons are a stand in. Communication Alternatives: Of course, there is a better way: Audio. Why type your Facebook posts when you can quickly record them and post audio on your wall? On a website, audio lets you show and tell. The emoticon is great, but its overuse can be detrimental to your online communication. The Holdcom Office Episode 1: Holdcom Goes International. Airline Hold Times During Hurricane Irene. Airline Hold Times During Hurricane Irene Airline customer service departments had phone lines ringing off the hook during the Hurricane Irene's blast up the east coast last week.
If you were one of the unlucky travelers during this time, you probably spent a long time waiting on hold for an airline customer service representative! If you were trying to reach an airline via Twitter, you might have waited hours for a response, or had your tweet completely ignored all together. What could have these airlines done to shorten hold time and provide customers with the best customer service under such unfortunate circumstances? STELLAService, a customer service firm, conducted a survey on airline hold times during Hurricane Irene, and the results are surprising. So what does this say about customer service when comparing these airlines?
An effective customer service strategy that Delta used to bridge social media and the massive amount of phone calls was personalizing Twitter support. Multilingual Communication Aids Customer Service. Visual communication is nearly a cultural universal. If you’ve ever bought furniture from IKEA, you’ll know the little white instruction book that comes with your unassembled furniture doesn’t have any words to be read, just pictures and diagrams to help you put everything together.
And if you’ve ever bought furniture from IKEA, you’ll know that this instruction booklet seldom includes enough information for you to confidently assemble your new dining room table, couch, or television stand, because visual communication, employed here as a cost-saving mechanism, is an ineffective tool. People like to be communicated with in their own language, which can make “going multilingual” an important customer service strategy.
On the phone especially, multilingual communication can be essential, as there are no visual clues like body language or lip reading, widening the language gap. Multilingual communication can help you by establishing: Clarity. Your Customers Are Shouting, Are You Listening? Customer service complaints are being pumped out live, and consistently while the these customers are hot and bothered. Twitter has enabled millions to broadcast their negative customer service experiences to all of their “followers” and maybe their followers' followers. No longer is there an opportunity to make it right and take back what was already posted on hundreds, possibly thousands of Twitter account holders' feeds. These comments are searchable, permanent, and powerful.
Gone is the cool down period. When consumers are unhappy, don't be surprised if they shout it from the tops of their smart phones. However, did you ever think about how these comments can help your business? - @bestbuy horrible customer service via phone. should not take 2 hours to order something. - #onhold 45 minutes on the phone to find out where my package is, DHL needs to get it together, your customer service is horrible!! - Absolutely horrible customer service experience with @Airtel_Presence call center. How Special Education Teachers Can Enhance Your eLearning Techniques. How Special Education Teachers Can Enhance Your eLearning Techniques Research has shown adding audio to multimedia presentations enhances a learner's grasp on the content (image, video, or text) provided.
Special Education teachers use audio visual learning techniques to increase attention span, and stimulate auditory and visual senses of learning disabled students. By producing a mixture of sound, dialogue, and music, corresponding with images and videos, the given learners become a more captive audience, absorbing and retaining what is being communicated to them. Just as attention deficit students respond better to audio visual learning techniques, your audience will too. Using speech, sounds effects, and music, you are creating depth and bringing presentations to life. Message On Hold is Your First Impression. Message On Hold is Your First Impression Today Customer Service battles are being fought virtually instead of face to face.
From social media sites to consumer affairs call centers, presenting the right image can mean the difference between winning or losing a customer. As the playing field has shifted from complaint departments to the ever-expanding ether of the internet, control of your image has also shifted. According to a survey conducted by Chief Executive Magazine, 96% of chief executives rank their reputation as "very important" to achieving business goals.
Kim Harrison commented, "The common term 'reputation' management is misleading because you can't directly manage your own reputation; you can only act to strengthen your standing in the areas that Your upfront announcements and on hold message is one of the first impressions callers will have of your business. Consider how your competitors are handling their callers? Choosing the Right Message On Hold Equipment. Message On Hold Wisdom From Panel Experts. Message On Hold Wisdom From Panel Experts In 2004 at the New York SOCAP Annual Conference, Holdcom put together a panel represented by some of our major clients – Verizon Wireless, Metropolitan Opera Association, Dannon Company. Each panelist responded to the central question – how their organization handles placing customers on hold.
Recently discovered in our digital archives, Holdcom is in the process of remastering this valuable panel discussion and making it available to you. Here are learned insights from the first speaker, Mike Roby, VP of Customer Care of Customer First Call Centers (and former SOCAP president): Another speaker was Sam Cerami, Customer Care Supervisor at JVC headquarters, who shared personal anecdotes about the benefits of customer care on hold. “When we started using this type of system the parts department was using it for promos…[the] data from last year [showed that] we sold 927 [headphones] just from playing [our] message on hold. Health and Wellness Luncheon at Holdcom. Health and Wellness Luncheon at Holdcom On Tuesday, May 24th, Holdcom participated in a “Health and Wellness Lunch and Learn” sponsored by Event Dango, with a complimentary lunch from Subway. The event centered on a presentation from Dr. Joe Labriola, founder of the Chiro Health Spa of Ramsey.
While we munched on delicious sandwiches, Dr. Labriola discussed the various treatments at his clinic – from chiropractic to acupuncture, the hCG weight loss plan and the unique Physiored exercise routine, which combines cycling and infrared light to increase metabolism. After the informative discussion, Andrew explained our business, to which Dr. Labriola responded, “I wish we had you guys yesterday!” Yet again, proof that many companies forget that your customers are always listening – and if a promotion is going to make the phone ring, make sure you are prepared to handle the business! Holdcom wishes to extend their thanks to Event Dango (1.800.731.9223) and Dr. From Holdcom, Signing Off. From Holdcom, Signing Off September 13th, 2010. It’s been a wild ride. Straight out of college and into the fast lane, juggling start-up news, gadget tech, and by-the-minute tweets while back of mind threads relevant newsletter articles from the chatter and the traffic.
Jumping from marketing meetings to Youtube video shoots, to Webinars on segmentation and ‘going mobile,’ siphoning the influx of information has been hard, but fulfilling, work. 7 months and 14 days ago, I wrote my first blog entry about our morning meetings, titled “Monday Morning Communication.” The style was free-wheeling, words gesticulating like excited hands, like the world outside – now – finally - summer! But as I’m writing this, the sun yawns, the breeze and yellow-orange of morning absorb each other, slow to a muted gold, refined and solid – a reflection of the experience I have gained. Holdcom now has a corporate Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profile. Using Message on Hold in a Real Time World.
Behold, The Power of Real Human Audio. A Message on Hold Nightmare, from a Message On Hold Blogger. Managing Your On Hold Space. "What's Your Address?" Ask Holdcom! 3D Audio While Waiting On Hold - Soon? [VIDEO] How Message On Hold Can Increase Call Tolerance. Marketing On Hold Services Via Mobile Medium. Inside Professional Virtual Greeting Messages. Only Audio - A Revolution in Mobile Gaming. Urban Exploration. Internal Segmentation. Remembering Voice: Martin Luther King Jr. What Google Instant Preview and Message On Hold Share. On Hold Magic. Traveling with On Hold Voices.