First things first. You must be aware that playing music on hold requires you to contract a professional music on hold messaging provider that can provide you with the right message on hold equipment based upon your telephony set-up (ie phone system vs regular off-the-shelf phones), the music callers will hear while on hold is properly licensed (playing music without a license is illegal and you could be fined) and what your prefered delivery method of the hold music will be (internet, usb flash drive, cd, etc.)
Here are the most common telephone set-ups and how to connect music on hold or on hold messages.
1) Professional Business Phone System:A true, multiline business telephone system commonly referred to as a PBX - (Private Branch Exchange) or KSU (Key Service Unit). These phone systems are not something you can walk into an office supply store and buy. Instead, they are typically sold online or via the local dealers, with installers needed to install, setup and program the system. Central box, this "box" is the brains of the phone system. It serves as the hub of the entire phone system, and all the various proprietary office phones are then connected directly to the unit, as is the music on hold input where the music on hold player gets connected. In most cases a music on hold player plugs right into the system's Music On Hold input via a rca cable, Those systems that have an enclosed cabinet are commom and generally have a music on hold input (female audio input). However on some systems the player needs to be hard-wired to the wiring block, and some systems also require some minor programming to "turn on" the music on hold feature. If either the wiring block or programming scenarios apply to you, this requires installation to be completed by your telephone installer.
2) Standard Off-The-Shelf Phones
Standard phones purchased from an office supple store (Office Depot, Staples, etc.) or a catalog that plug into a standard wall-jack similiar to a home telephone are not music on hold ready. In other words, these telephone do not have a music on hold input where you can connect a music on hold player. Technology has advanced in the music on hold and messaging industry, so that even the small business or homw based business using regular phones can now also add music on hold so that callers don't wait on hold in silence and can capture the benefits associated with using hold time as a valuable marketing opportunity. The two most methods of adding music on hold to regular telephones are as follows:
a) There are music on hold adapters in the marketplace sold as a seprate stand-alone unit that installs between a telephone and wall-jack (similar to an answering machine). These will be a small device that connects to one or more standard phone lines (usually via a splitter at the wall jack). The devices work with anywhere from one to four phone lines and typically have a RCA audio input jack on them, to which you connect any standard music on hold player (requires the purchase of both the adapter and player). Some devices automatically activate hold content just by hitting the phone’s hold button, while other require one or two key presses to put a call on hold (such as "star, star").
b) There are also all-in-one units in the marketplace that are combination music on hold players/adapters. This eliminates to cost of purchasing a stand alone adapter and player. The instalation is similar to above whereas the unit connects between your telephone and wall-jack.
3) VOIP, IP and Virtual Phone Systems
With and IP based or Virtual PBX set-up, there are typically two ways to play music on hold with these telephony set-up. The first is to upload the music on hold audio file directly into the system's server. With this option, the music on hold production file is stored in the IP system and separately streamed to each caller when they are placed on hold. While this may seem like an advantage since no player is needed, it can in fact be problematic. Because the content starts from the beginning each time a caller is put on hold, repeat callers are likely to hear the same intro portion of the music on hold content every single time they call in. Even if the music on hold content is five minutes long, most callers will only hear the first 30 seconds or less. . . making the on hold content repetitive and annoying. Luckily, most IP systems also have an external input that allows for a standard music on hold player to be connected. Since standard on hold players play continuously, callers won’t be subjected to the same on hold content each time. VOIP systems come in different flavors. There are VOIP systems that offer a virtual office feature, meaning it provides all the features of a traditional phone system and it can accept a music on hold audio file. Other voip systems like Vonage that you plug a regular phone into a router are similar to a standard off-the-shelf phone and require either a music on hold adapter and player, or an all in one music on hold player/adapter in order to have music on hold.
On Hold Inc specializes in providing music on hold services and on hold equipment. If you would like your organization to sound as professional as possible while leveraging the power of on hold messaging, let us consult with you for the correct on hold solution.