Remember that part about getting more bang for your buck when you use a professionally produced on hold program? Here's where it gets really interesting - if you're doing everything right, and answering the questions and providing information that your customers really need and want to hear, there's a good chance you can reuse the content you've already created. You can repurpose your Message On Hold as overhead announcements in your facility or store, as short videos, as website audio, and more. When you think outside of the box, there are many ways to take what you have and make it something more.
Almost all phone systems* manufactured today have Message on Hold capability, but to determine exactly what you have before your purchase a Message on Hold system, it is best to check with your phone system vendor. Need equipment?
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Get a professional recording of your Auto Attendant (IVR) prompts and ensure your business keeps up the image it deserves.
“Providing information on hold results in a 40% increase in retention of callers on hold... a 15% increase in inquiries... and a 12% direct increase for products and services mentioned on hold.” – US West Communications Study
No matter how you choose to create the on-hold recording, once the audio file sounds exactly like you want it, simply ask your IT team to update your phone system with the new recording. You’ll be giving your callers a better experience in no time.
You can create a professional sounding on-hold message with a few tools that you may already have on-hand. All you need is an audio recorder (this could even be your cell phone), a good microphone, and someone who’s willing to be your voice actor.
Verbal Content – generally, you should use 100 words to make up 1 minute of content produced with background music. In other words, one to two paragraphs per minute. The topic can range from product promotions to general company information.
Let’s drop some jargon: Caller retention. Customer satisfaction. Reducing churn. If you care about any of these, hold music should matter to you. Music affects mood. It can even have an effect on purchasing and decision-making behavior. Skip the sponsored Instagram posts of avocado toast; hold music is a bonafide influencer!
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I would like to record and customize the hold message per different options but currently there is not an option for that Toni OM commented · June 3, 2020 9:22 AM · Flag as inappropriateFlag as inappropriate · Edit… · Delete…
USA Business Telephone Today conducted a survey of 30,000 callers to study the effects of hold music, or the lack of it, for a single minute. More than half the callers who were put on hold without any auditory stimulation hung up. The silence affected the rest of the group’s perception of time: More than 27 percent thought their wait time exceeded five minutes, and 18 percent thought it exceeded three minutes. Only 3 percent judged their wait time to be close to the actual one-minute timeframe. All of the callers in the study had listened to dead air for only 60 seconds.
On-hold messages allow a company to market to the caller while keeping her on the line. A phone company can use on-hold messaging to tell customers about a new service or feature; when the caller reaches a live person, she has an immediate opportunity to ask about a feature mentioned in the message. On-hold messaging also allows a business to
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Sample 2 — "Thank you for holding. Your call is very important to us. The answer to all your technical service needs is PQR Incorporated. PQR has set the standard for excellence in the Tri-State area and over 1,000 companies—large and small—have come to rely on PQR for their technical service needs. Thanks for holding."
If we learned anything from Napster, it’s that music doesn’t come for free. While there are a few free music sites out there, there are plenty of royalty-free websites for finding hold music, but keep in mind you may have to pay a subscription fee or download fee. (OnSIP subscribers can access three free music channels; read on for more details.) If you’re of the mind that your business could and should use Top 40 or other recent tracks, you will have to pay royalties for the right to use them.
“At Page, Smith & Douglas, we pride ourselves on both our extensive knowledge of tax law and our dedication to superior customer service. We understand that tax problems can be intimidating, so we have a completely open door policy for our clients to come meet with their attorney in our office or contact them anytime by phone or email…”
When your company phone rings that caller becomes a prospect. That brief time, spent on hold, can be an extremely powerful marketing tool; and the difference between gaining a client and losing a client. Our approach to on-hold messages is simple: Combine a captive audience with skillfully crafted ads, the right audio image and real marketing objectives and you'll hit a home run every time!