A custom on hold message, mixed with on hold music ensures that callers know they are being kept on hold. This is important so customers do not feel abandoned or that they have possibly been disconnected. If there are no on hold messages or music at the end of the line, many callers will not wait long before hanging up. If you can provide them with some useful information, on hold phone messages can keep your callers online for considerably longer, allow time for your operators to answer and reduce the stress of callers.
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Here’s what happens to our two example tracks when we use some amplification to introduce clipping into the mix:
The common scripts include: “The next available representation will be with you shortly” or simply “We will be with you shortly”. These messages often work best when coupled with expected waiting time announcement.
There are many online companies that specialize in creating on-hold recordings, such as Snap Recordings, On Hold Company, or On Hold Marketing. They each offer a range of services at varying price points.
Power loss? No problem. The GDI-USBM10 automatically starts playing after power is restored.
“Thank you for continuing to hold, your patience is appreciated. Please continue to hold and we will be with you as soon as possible. Alternatively, if you would rather leave a message and get us to call you back please press 0 at any time.”
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.
We specialise in audio marketing for telephone systems, both VOIP and traditional. Whether you are looking for music on hold or on hold messages, perhaps call menu options and out of hours too; we can take care of every part of the process for you.
When you begin to consider what callers on hold should hear while they wait, be sure to focus on your callers and their needs. Think about: Why are they calling? What would keep them interested and even inspired? Remember, on hold messages shouldn’t be a hard sell, but rather a soft sell or conversation with people who have reached out to you, and are in an excellent position to make buying decisions based on what they hear while on hold.
So, given that hold music is such a powerful potential source of frustration, why do companies continue to get it wrong? Reading the articles that are out there, there seems to be a lot of speculation regarding the best choice of music to placate or even entertain customers while they wait in your queue. Some common suggestions include “Hanging On The Telephone” by Blondie, or Lionel Richie’s “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?”. Or how about looking up the customer’s record in your call centre CRM, grabbing their date of birth, and playing something based on their age range - pop for the under 25s and presumably something fusty for the oldies?
Of those businesses that responded, 85% would recommend on hold messaging and believe it's a useful marketing tool that adds value to the business. They rated on hold marketing as effective as Internet, TV/Radio, Direct Mail, and Print marketing.
Here is our top 5 recommendation of what to look for in a quality on hold message provider:
It's a place most of us have been before: Knowing that you have no option if you wish to get the help you need, you reply, “Sure, I’ll hold,” and politely wait. If you have never been through what comes next before, you are lucky. If I am being completely honest, I am slightly envious.
Before you start, check with your IT support team or phone system vendor to see if there are any special requirements you need to be aware of. Things like: How long can the recording be? What type of audio file does it need to be? Is there a maximum file size?
Website: https://onairrecordings.com/blog/entry/can-i-have-messages-on-hold-without-an-expensive-new-phone-system
Regrettably for my purpose, the software requires that you add a "message on hold", which makes perfect sense for this devices intended purpose, if not for my own use. But I worked around the problem by recording a second of silence and then adjusted the software the effectively play only my cheesy elevator music.