Phone On Hold News

It’s a good idea for every company to have a message and music on hold program on their phone system because, quite frankly, advertising in general is expensive enough.

Whether you use television, radio, newspapers, direct mail or the Internet to get people to contact your company, when they do call, don’t stop there. Certainly, most of the work is done and that initial advertising investment paid off. Yes, they called you. However, they haven’t purchased anything yet.

The impression and experience callers get from dealing with your company will determine if they actually buy from you, so if you have to put them on hold, why not allow them to listen to information about your company to reinforce your brand and remind them why they called you in the first place.

Remember that poor ‘hold music’, or even worse none at all, has the potential to cause over half of callers to abandon calls (source: Avaya).  Faced with such a situation, 15 percent of all callers will not call back.

When people choose to call your company, keep them engaged with a custom on hold message and music recording that promotes your products and services, increases caller awareness and decreases caller hang-ups.

Because you put your company image on the line every time you put a call on hold.

The following email was recently received by an audio production company that produces on hold message and music recordings… ‘need a quote on producing 2 on hold message on 2 separate CDs, one for each song attached, (regular message with Rod Stewart and another for the holiday time with Mariah Carey).’ It is so easy to transfer music through the Internet, this person sent two songs from established artists without having any prior contact. The audio production company responded appropriately that they we’re not able to use the music sent because they did not own the rights to the recordings or have permission from the record labels or artists to use them for this purpose.   No doubt, the recording industry has taken a huge hit in CD sales since illegal downloading began with the advent of Napster in the late 90′s.  In an attempt to stem the losses, this past decade has seen the RIAA bring a heavy hand with lawsuits against average citizens.  Certainly, their focus is on illegal file-sharing, but the radar is also up for other license violations, including music on hold.  For business owners wishing to play the radio or pre-recorded CD’s on hold, it is important to know that most musical works are the property of the songwriters, composers, and music publishers and may not be reproduced or rebroadcast without the proper licensing. Remember, whether or not a music user believes copyright infringement is a big deal, violators face fines of anywhere from $750 to $150,000 per song.  Click Here to learn more.

While quick and painless for most, others lose sleep when considering all the musical selections available for their on hold message recording.  

Here are some things to consider that will hopefully simplify the process for you:

• Are more of your callers male or female?  Men and women respond differently to music.  A major study found that time spent on hold was perceived to be shortest for men when classical music was played, but for women, the wait seemed longer when listening to classical.  Female callers perceived a shorter hold time when light jazz was playing.  Rock was the least preferred across both gender groups and produced the longest waiting time estimates.  Read More
• What is your average hold time?  The longer the wait, the more important your selection.  You may like the choice you made, but how does it sound after three minutes or more?
• What do your callers expect?  If your business sells cool auto accessories to a younger clientele to ‘trick out their ride,’ soft jazz music on hold may not be effective in keeping them excited about your business, especially after hearing an energetic radio commerical that motivated them to call in the first place.  At the same time, a caller to a dentist office might be surprised to hear a message about implants or root canal surgery, set to energetic alternative rock.

Overall, ask yourself, is this selection a good fit?  Sometimes a gut reaction leads to the best decision.  Afterall, you know your succesful business better than anyone.

‘Can you hear me now?’ Certainly that question is familiar to you since cell phones began taking over the world in the late 90′s.

How about this one ‘Are You There?’ or ‘Did They Hang Up On Me?’

You may have heard those questions before or asked them yourself when calling a business that placed your call on hold in dead silence. No cricket sounds… nothing.

This is the reality for thousands of companies across the country that place callers on hold and leave them wondering if they are on hold or were disconnected.

To make matters worse, a new study reveals that over 50 percent of calls to businesses are made from mobile phones. As we learned in December (See ‘Why Does My Cell Phone Break Up When I Hear On Hold Music?’) mobile phones are optimized toward human speech, not music, so even if you have music playing on hold, without a message, callers often feel abandoned quite quickly and simply hang up.

You spend too much money and put in too much effort getting people to call your business, don’t turn them off when they do. A custom on hold message and music program will make callers feel connected to your company and reduce hang-ups.

You know your business better than anyone, so creating a script with information about your business that your callers will hear each time they are placed on hold should be a simple process, right?

Well, there is a process if the material is to be effective and doing it incorrectly, you run the risk of annoying or alienating the prospects and customers you are trying to attain or retain through other marketing opportunities.

Of course, you know you need to identify your company and include your location, website address, and maybe your operating hours, company history and philosophy. You certainly also want to highlight your products and services, but how should you go about it and where do you begin?

If you do not have a lot of experience with scriptwriting, you should consider hiring a professional. There are many independent writers available who can help you craft a workable script for you. Your on hold provider also offers this service and in most cases, scriptwriting is included with your purchase of an on hold recording and/or telephone IVR prompts.

However, if you wish to take a stab at it yourself, here are some tips from experienced writers for scripting on-hold messages. Remember you already have your callers’ attention, so unlike radio or television where you need to gain your potential prospects’ attention before you deliver your message, an on-hold message program allows you to get right to the point with information about your products and services.

• Avoid “question and answer” preludes to your message. Launch right into the details.
• No hype needed.  Think of your on hold messages as a press release. Don’t tell callers your company is the best, tell them ‘why’ you are the best and then prove it with detailed information.
• Don’t assume that the caller has heard the previous message. A caller can be put on hold at any point during your on hold presentation because your program is always playing even when there are no callers hold, so don’t assume they have heard the previous message. Refer to your company, products or services by their appropriate names rather than “it” or “this” since you may create confusion and reduce the effectiveness of your message.
• Your script may look good on paper, but that doesn’t mean it will sound good, so when finished, be sure to read your messages out loud. An on hold script should be written for the spoken word, so do not include content you wouldn’t say to prospects and customers in-person or during a phone conversation.

What should you include in your script besides the basic information about your company?  Depending on the complexity of your product or service and the amount of time you expect your callers to spend on hold, consider the following:

• Let your caller know in each message where they are… ‘Thank you for calling Our Dentist Office.’
• Give callers on hold something to think about. “New materials and techniques have been perfected to make your smile unforgettable. In some instances, life-changing improvements can be made in just one visit.”
• Tell callers something they don’t know about you. “Doctor Dave graduated with honors from Florida State University, where he was awarded top honors in his class for oral surgery.”
• Is there any news your caller should know about? “Please note our new location at 1122…”
• Be courteous and thank callers for holding. “We value your business.  Someone will be right with you.”  Do not underestimate the power of courtesy. It will be appreciated and help diffuse any irritation some people might experience for being kept on hold, even for a short period of time.
• Give callers another option. “If you do not wish to continue holding, please press zero to leave a message. The next available representative will return your call as soon as possible.”

Alternatives to on hold messages are available, but not very encouraging.  Consider your options:

1. Nothing (Silence) – Why would you want to give a valued client/prospect the silent treatment? You’ve spent advertising dollars to get someone to call your business, but it doesn’t have to stop there! Callers who wait in silence also do not know if they have been disconnected or abandoned. Studies show that 90 percent of all callers hang-up after 40 seconds and that 72 percent do not call back. Caller abandonment rates are extremely high and cost businesses millions annually.
2. Playing the Radio – This is one of the greatest ways to advertise other businesses, including your competition for free! Sounds kind of ridiculous, advertising other businesses to your customers for free doesn’t it? Well, that just may be what you’re doing if you play a local radio station on hold. U.S. Copyright laws also require that a business pay for the rights to play a radio while on hold or be subject to fines. These fees are collected by organizations such as ASCAP, BMI and SEASAC.
3. Canned Music – Can be a very expensive alternative to on hold messaging. Although having something for your callers to listen to while on hold is certainly more beneficial than ignoring them with silence, you are still missing out on numerous marketing opportunities.

On Hold time is the perfect time to:

• Educate callers about your products & services
• Introduce & promote special offers
• Generate traffic to your company’s web site
• Enhance your company’s image
• Decrease caller abandonment (lost calls, hang ups, etc.)

The alternatives to on hold messages are not very encouraging. Consider your options:

1. Nothing (Silence) – Why would you want to give a valued client/prospect the silent treatment?  You’ve spent advertising dollars to get someone to call your business, but it doesn’t have to stop there!  Callers who wait in silence also do not know if they have been disconnected or abandoned.  Studies show that 90 percent of all callers hang-up after 40 seconds and that 72 percent do not call back.  Caller abandonment rates are extremely high and cost businesses millions annually.
2. Playing the Radio – This is one of the greatest ways to advertise other businesses, including your competition for free!  Sounds kind of ridiculous, advertising other businesses to your customers for free doesn’t it?  Well, that just may be what you’re doing if you play a local radio station on hold.  U.S. Copyright laws also require that a business pay for the rights to play a radio while on hold or be subject to fines.  These fees are collected by organizations such as ASCAP, BMI and SEASAC.
3. Canned Music – Can be a very expensive alternative to on hold messaging.  Although having something for your callers to listen to while on hold is certainly more beneficial than ignoring them with silence, you are still missing out on numerous marketing opportunities.

On Hold time is the perfect time to:

• Educate callers about your products & services
• Introduce & promote special offers
• Generate traffic to your company’s web site
• Enhance your company’s image
• Decrease caller abandonment (lost calls, hang ups, etc.)

The advantage to having an on hold message and music program is you always have control of your customer’s perception of your company.  Nobody likes to be put on hold, but hearing the radio or silence, or maybe that annoying beep-beep sound, is a constant reminder that only makes that experience worse.   A professional, on hold message and music program will polish your image to a captive audience waiting on hold.

They have chosen to call you.  Have them listen to you.

We never put people on hold, or try not to put people on hold. Why would we need this?

That’s good. Do you not put people on hold at your business because you are concerned about what they hear when placed on-hold?  When you have a custom on hold message and music recording, you may actually look forward to putting people on hold, because you know the selling process continues while you gather your thoughts and the information you need to address your prospects and clients.  In addition, with multiple phones and calls being transferred from one person to another, putting people on hold is normally unavoidable and the facts prove it… over 70 percent of calls to business are placed on hold (Source: AT&T).

We only put people on hold for a short period of time. Why would we need this?

How long? 10 seconds? 20 seconds? In 10 seconds, a caller on hold just heard they can get a discount on their auto insurance if they also have a life policy with your agency. In 20 seconds, a caller on hold just heard you also offer massage therapy at your chiropractic clinic.  In many cases, just one person asking about something they heard on hold and then making a purchase, can more than pay for your investment in on hold advertising.

When your company plays the radio on hold, your customers are hearing the following:

• Commercials from other businesses – are any of them competitors?
• Announcers are talking, but not about your business
• Music is playing, but does your customer like that song?
• You’ve tuned in the soft rock station – is the reception clear?

Ever wonder why you hear so much static when listening to a radio station on hold?

Most company phone systems are located near a server and other electronic equipment in a closet or small room. This confined area creates a lot of interference and as a result, nearly every radio on hold is filled with static!

Food for Thought:

Imagine someone standing in front of your business everyday. They distract attention away from your business by talking to your customers about the weather and other businesses. Certainly, you would call the police before you let that happen. Now, think of a caller to your business being placed on hold and hearing the radio.

Customer service. Every business strives to make it priority number one and in a perfect world, each customer would receive immediate, productive service.

Ideal, but highly unrealistic.

What really happens is approximately 70 percent of callers to businesses are placed on hold.

While they wait, are these prospects and customers of your business suffering-in-silence? Have they lost focus on their call to your business because they’re listening to the radio?

If you’re serious about building a solid corporate image, consider a custom on hold message and music recording.

You’ve spent time and money building your business. Don’t lose credibility by giving your customers the silent treatment or allowing the local radio station to control the message your customers hear.

With custom on hold messages, your company can quickly offer information about your business to waiting callers who are already interested in your product or service.

There really is no better targeted prospect.

You can use your on hold message recording to direct callers to your website, blog or Facebook page for additional information or specials. Once you connect with them online, you can encourage customers and prospects to share your brand with their friends and associates through their social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.).

That’s some powerful promotion, all started with a simple on hold message program.