“So what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a copywriter at Messages On Hold; I write marketing messages for businesses to play on hold.”
“On hold? I hate being put on hold! In fact, just the other day I called…”
That’s how conversations about my job sometimes go. Fortunately for me, none of the companies my family and friends complain about being placed on hold by are clients of ours. And there’s a reason for that – you see, lots of people find being on hold really annoying. Except for Dick – an awesome dude who spent years searching for the source of a musical piece he once heard on hold. (Fun fact: he actually called up a certain hospital just to ask if he could be placed on hold and listen to the music. Someone buy this man an iPod!)
But placing someone on hold is a very important part of conducting business over the phone. Sometimes you’ve got to check something, transfer a customer to a colleague or even let the answering machine pick up the call (because you’re off playing golf with a ‘potential client’).
Putting people on hold is unavoidable. A caller having a horrible time on hold, however, is very, very avoidable. Across the globe, more and more companies are becoming aware of just how important their on hold system is and how untapped its marketing potential remains.
A recent survey conducted in Britain came up with some pretty interesting stats. Over 50% of customers on hold feel “more valued” by a business when they’re treated to customised audio messages and music. Generic and repetitive on hold audio actively drives away customers.
And less than 1% of businesses have a personalised voicemail service for when their phones are unattended. A whopping 82% have a generic, boring voicemail and 17% don’t have anything at all.
“Hello? Are you there? This is a potential customer calling!”
It’s seriously mind-boggling. Businesses throw so much money into their marketing budgets, ensuring that they look good – but how many invest even minimally to ensure they sound good!
What are customers hearing when they’re on hold?
Can you see the bright yellow ray of sunshine at the top? I’ll wait while you grab a magnifying glass. That’s statistically the proportion of businesses, according to the survey, using their on hold properly!
On hold messages present an opportunity for you to promote your company to a captive audience – an audience, mind you, that’s probably already a qualified prospect at the point of sale! You can promote products, services, specials, upcoming events… the possibilities are just about endless.
Not to mention the huge potential a customised welcome or after hours message has for impressing your callers with polished, professional audio. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that callers would rather hear a talented voice artist recorded in a sound-proof studio than your receptionist trying to record a message with the background noise of your staff discussing who’s going to end up on the Iron Throne!
“Well done Monsieur Blogger,” I hear you cry. “You’ve convinced me of the value of on hold. But I have no copywriting experience, no professional recording equipment and my voice sounds like I’m being force-fed helium 24/7!”
You’re not alone – that’s exactly why Messages On Hold exists! Our expert creative team will customise an On Hold Production for you. From concept to script to production – we’ll literally do it all for you. Why don’t you request a demo or have a live chat with a member of our team today?