Not everyone gets excited when they’re being put on-hold while trying to call a service provider. This is because, we don’t have that much patience to wait for a couple of minutes before we get attended by a customer representative. You see, it’s already arduous to dial the toll-free customer service or technical support number to inquire about the product defect that you found out with the gadget they sent you. But what you are forced to listen to while on hold for a couple of minutes before beign attended to? ...For some, the music on hold (or lack there of) at certain businesses is just too much to tolerate.
Due to this, we did a brief survey at The Original On-Hold to learn about the experiences of our very own staff, while they waited on hold at various businesses. Oftentimes, the bad ones were the most remarkable. Here are some of the hilarious but thought-provoking experiences that we have gathered:
Danny, one of our supervisors,had an amusing experience when he realized that he was persuaded to come back to buy gadgets from that company after swearing that he will never again call the number. “I remember calling them to ask for a particular gadget. While waiting, the music on hold was Meatloaf’s I Will Do Anything for Love. I find it ironic because it was as if they were telling them that I will go back to their company for the love of their product. I already had issues with them but it seems to me that they are the only company that I can call whenever I need something. Nowadays, whenever I hear that Meatloaf song, I find myself checking their website one more time.”
Another experience that we found out was from Stacy. “I used to work in a call center and we had to call FedEx for package tracking. The most grueling 30 minutes of my life is to sit and wait for someone to pick up while listening to a default on-hold tune. I can still remember the tune until now and it freaks me out.”
The poll served as a basis on what callers would prefer when they are being put on-hold. While others would want to hear some informational on hold messages while they wait, others would like to listen to some pleasant music that they can relate to while stuck on-hold.
There are times that on-hold experiences to customers can be appalling that leads them to hanging-up or disconnecting the call. Paul had an experience of dropping the call while he was on-hold because of the short-ad that was repeatedly played while he was waiting for an agent to answer him. The voice-over sounded too irritating, he hung-up.
I guess that shattered our hopes. Now you’re wondering if it is still possible to do on-hold marketing right so callers have a positive on hold experience, right? Don’t fret. Here are two instances where Brian mentioned different on-hold experiences. The bad news first: He went ballistic the whole day. “I was put on hold for 20 minutes listening to the Kill Bill whistle. I have never felt such anger and frustration while at it.” However, the best news is: “There was a short on-hold message about a product that I have been looking for and I felt glad that they mentioned it in their on-hold script. When the agent accepted the call, I instantly bought it.”
As you can see, a lot of emotions get involved when customers are being put on-hold. Callers mean business, and the worst thing you can do is to lose them due to silence or boring music on hold. The best thing you can do is to hire a professional on hold marketing agency to develop your on hold strategy and surely your business will go a long way!