Corporate cost-cutting and new technology have resulted in the advent of automated systems that can make the on-hold experience even more frustrating. It can feel near-impossible to get a human on the phone these days, which a national survey conducted by Consumer Reports found to be Americans' second-greatest annoyance, after hidden fees but beating out inaccurate weather reports and dog poop. Green observes that often people call as a last resort, because something on the website wasn't clear, perhaps, and they really need an answer quickly. So callers are captive listeners, a state often associated with the gridlock of waiting, whether in line at a Starbucks, in a dentist's chair, or in the proverbial elevator making its slow way up.
Hold music is one of those subjects that unites people from all walks of life. No matter where you’re from or what your background is, the prospect of five minutes listening to poorly chosen music while your telephone gradually makes a painful imprint on the side of your head fills everyone with a justifiable sense of dread.

Lastly, real-time status updates are a useful way to keep track of your messaging system. With marketing automation, they can be sent to a manager for better decision making. Web-based management portals allow you to see account details as well as past and present on hold productions. This way, you can track the status of a particular customer’s production request, analytics and your on hold messages all in one place.
Instead of writing to inform people or to entertain them, you need to write your script as a way to create a conversation. You need to imagine what someone would say to another person and then put it on the page. Don’t be afraid if it feels like you’re talking to yourself — that just means you’re writing well.