Most business-class phone systems come with a library of pre-recorded on-hold messages or music for you to choose from. They also typically allow you to upload your own, giving you the opportunity to customize your callers’ experience while they wait.
Easy On Hold Founder Tim Brown says that the new scheduling mechanism is what makes the Easy On Hold streaming message unique. "The traditional four-minute on-hold loop, where several paragraphs are edited over one piece of music, is an outdated approach," he says. "Our service puts together a library of individual spots that can be told when to play and how often. You can schedule start and stop dates, too, so old content is never heard."

VoIP, or Voice Over IP, is becoming a very popular alternative to traditional phone lines. This type of service operates over the internet, allowing businesses to make calls without paying for a regular phone service. If you use VoIP, that is no reason to forego on hold messaging. In fact, many services are now VoIP compatible. This makes your low-cost phone option that much better, because you can still enjoy the same useful marketing service.
Of the 10,000 callers who heard hold music during their minute wait, only 13 percent dropped off, and more than half guessed their wait time was less than a minute. To take it a step further, the study's last group heard a mix of music and messages while on hold for one minute. Two percent hung up. Another 81 percent thought their wait time was less than a minute.