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The decision as to whether a man or a woman should be used to front a particular brand might seem quite inconsequential to some, but the gender behind a voice helps to establish a number of unspoken factors, as well as prepare the listener for the type of message they’re about to receive.

When you think about the psychology of this, it kind of makes sense. To oversimplify, many of us learn discipline through our dad’s voice, and we often learn affection through the voice of our mother. Once an emotional connection is established, it often lasts our entire lives, so it can certainly be used to our advantage when advertising.

As such, the qualities generally associated to male and a female voices are as follows:

Although speaking in very simple terms, few people would disagree with the statements above, and depending on what type of brand you are, your messaging will more naturally lean towards using a male or a female.

Now let’s consider the effect that both a male and female voice has on the gender of your shoppers or callers:

As a rule, a female voice can cater for any task – whether offering general information, user directions, or dealing with sensitive issues – and instil trust in the customer. This is great should a consistent voice be needed for a variety of different needs.

It’s natural that the early part of our lives have made us consider a male voice to be more forceful and assertive, so we’ve become wired to expect directions, instructions and a request for action whenever we hear it. This makes a male voice great for winning the customers’ focus.

At OnBrand, we’re passionate about delivering messages that customers get the most out of, and we research all these little things to help you sound as good as you are.

For Valentine’s Day, we’ve recorded our shopping centre messages in both male and female voices for the very first time, allowing our customers to personalise their messaging with the click of a button.

Hear Audio Examples

What does a business do when they know they need something, but are finding it very hard to justify the cost? For example, we offer audio messaging to anybody that needs it – whether a shopping centre needs a radio announcement, or a company wished to refresh the automated messages on their telephone system – we can deliver great professional messages to suit their needs.

More often than not, the reason companies acquire a service is because they aren’t specialists in the area themselves. The problem is, all the so-called specialists claim they’re the best and use a bunch of jargon to tell you why, but how can you decide who to outsource your work to when you don’t really know what they’re talking about?

Brexit flashback, anyone?

Politics aside, we understand this plight all too well, and that’s why we don’t try to sell our products by putting other companies down, or by throwing a load of words at you that don’t mean anything. Instead, we focus on the problems you have, the solutions we offer, and the value of having your problem/s solved.

Here are the 5 steps we take to achieve your goals:

1. We listen

We don’t blindly claim to have the answers you need. Instead, we really take time to discover what your issues are in the first place. Only then can we begin to think of the services that can work for you.

2. We assess

When it comes to consumer behaviour or the customer journey, we like to do research to help us understand what works. We marry that information with the challenges you face and find ways of achieving your objectives.

3. We plan

You know what they say about failing to plan, right? Well, our ethos is all about building solid foundations so that our clients see long-term benefits as well as fixes in the short-term.

4. We’re transparent

When we do business, it’s incredibly important that people are clear with us, and so we treat everybody with the same level of respect. Transparency is key in setting out plans, expectations, costs and timelines, and so we’re up-front about everything we say and do.

5. We deliver

Our work history includes some wonderful brands, and not only do we deliver our product, but we always work to exceed expectations. After all, our main aim is to build long standing working relationships, and there’s only one way that can happen – by showing you the value in what we do.

How we add value

Spending money on external services can often be the cause of trepidation, but of course a business can only thrive when wise investments are made, so it’s always a catch-22 situation.

We always start by outlining expectations, because it’s vital our clients know what we’re doing and why. At OnBrand, each of our services either:

• helps you make more money, or
• saves you a great deal of time, which can be used to develop your business in other areas

Put simply, any good investment should give you a solid return, so if we could prove we’ve saved you time and money, and we can show you exactly how through our analytical systems, then it can only be viewed as a great investment, right?

That’s the true mark of good value.

Got a question? Simply sayhello@onbrand.co.uk or give us a call on 03333 220 022 to find out how we can help your business.

As wonderful a time as Christmas can be, the increased interest from shoppers and callers does have the potential to negatively impact upon a brand’s reputation.

To make sure you’re not one of them, ask yourself these 5 questions for festive survival – whether your business is done in a mall or over the phone:

1. Have I got into the Christmas spirit?

Let your website reflect your shoppers’ excitement with seasonal banners and updated festive logos to portray the feel good factor inside of yourself. Are there great offers available to customers? Put on a festive show to let the whole world know!

2. Have I got the atmosphere right?

Music is an incredibly subjective art form, but Christmas is one of the very few times where a plethora of songs are universally loved by all. Therefore, make sure to treat your customers to songs that will make them excited – on the phone and in store.

3. Have I updated my trading hours?

If your operational hours are due to change over the holidays, it’s vital for you to make the details readily available. A short PA announcement or IVR message embedded into your telephony can do just the trick.

4. Am I promoting special events as well as I can?

It’s always such a shame when a well-planned event is poorly attended, but with audio messages raising awareness to 100% of shoppers in the mall, why not create messages for the build-up to key events? Likewise with your telephony – if you’re running a competition, or doing something special for Christmas, use on-hold times to let your callers know.

5. Have I planned for contingencies?

Do you historically need to close near Christmas due to bad weather conditions? You can use this knowledge to your advantage by recording an automated message telling your customers just that. Then, should the worst should happen again, you’ll be fully prepared for it.

Get to the point where you can answer yes to all the above, then you’re sure to have a very merry Christmas indeed.

Got a question? Get in touch by emailing hello@onbrandgroup.co.uk or give us a call on 03333 220 022 to find out how OnBrand Offers can help your business.