As a business owner, you may not have a choice. Some “on-hold” time is going to happen. The problems start when you ignore your hold time or mismanage it.
Ask yourself this question…
Is the next caller going to bring in sales, or possibly refer business???...
Now ask yourself this one “VERY IMPORTANT question.
Can I afford to lose even one call??? -- The answer, a resounding NO!
When beginning to plan your music on hold marketing strategy, remember to keep in mind, there’s many reasons why callers are reaching out to you:
They are in need of support or technical help?
They’re seeking a price quote?
They need to place an order or schedule an appointment?
Even with advancements in technology, and hip social media channels, the telephone is still the preferred form of customer contact. Using on hold messages gives your business a golden opportunity to tell potential buyers all about your brand, product and service offerings, while at the same time, improving the caller experience at your business!
Here are our tips for On hold messaging Best Practices:
Your on hold script is the most critical element of your messaging, therefore when creating your message on hold script, you should stay away from generic, otherwise useless message content. In other words, don’t waste the callers time with boring, useless statements which are not helpful. So skip the “your call is important to us”, as these generic hold music solutions actually irritate callers.
Instead, use a conversational “one-on-one” tone. Your marketing message should be succinct and to the point, so use short phrases that quickly engage the listener. One way to ensure callers are tuned in to the on hold marketing message you're trying to convey is to compel them with thought provoking questions getting them to further inquire about a specific product, service or special offer being mentioned in your dialogue.
The customer is the lifeblood of your business, so keep the focus where it belongs – on the customer! This is chance like no other of giving a great impression of your company, and often times the first impression of your brand. It's also important to gain the trust of the listener, remember - “Credibility” Sells! “Toot your own horn” a bit with short, conversational statements convincing callers you're the solution they’ve been seeking. Make brief, direct statements and let them know you’re the authority in the industry.
The job of the on hold script content is to inform, yes, but its most important asset is to keep the caller from disengaging. Losing customers is not an option! So, If hold time is inevitable, then why not use it strategically? Studies show that callers will wait up to three times longer when listening to a well-crafted on hold message. Use these on hold Best Practices, and you will no doubt keep callers happy, and help boost your bottom line.