The best hold music has few instruments and preferably only one. Simple music handles the change in quality better than a full orchestra arrangement. The latter gets distorted, particularly if it’s too loud for the phone to handle and clipping happens. No one wants to hear a dirge-like cacophony masquerading as “Pachelbel’s Canon in D.”
Slow your roll—there’s a lot more to hold music than just genre. A phone line isn’t a state of the art speaker system; its primary function is to make sure the call is connected. Volume changes, frequency, and distortion are all elements to consider when choosing hold music.

With on-hold, it’s not just about upselling other services, although that is important. You can use the time a customer is on hold to educate them more about your business and about your industry.
Even if your wait time is short, don’t discount the power of hold music. OnSIP’s average wait time averaged 18 seconds last month, which is just long enough for the caller to notice that the instrumental music is pleasant, with enough character to prevent boredom, before our team picks up. When that’s the last thought in your caller’s head before speaking with your business, it’s likely to be a more pleasant conversation than it might have been otherwise.