While it may sound like a simple task, crafting content that your customers will like to hear while on hold each time they call is a nuanced process if the material is to be effective. Do it incorrectly, and you risk annoying or alienating customers you worked very hard to attain via other marketing channels. You know you need to identify your company and include location, Web site, hours and relevant phone numbers. Perhaps, you think, it might be effective to include your company's history and philosophy and any awards it has won. You certainly want to highlight your products and services. But how? And what next?
For starters, you should hire professionals who specialize in message on hold copywriting. Remember that you already have your callers' attention. Unlike radio or television, media in which you need to gain your potential listeners' attention before you deliver your message, with on-hold messages, you already have it, so you needn't go over the top to be loud or attention-grabbing. Avoid “question and answer” preludes to your message. When time is limited, get to the point. Avoid hype. Just as with press releases, repeatedly referring to your company as “the best” or “leading” without substantiation only irritates callers and wastes listening time. So don’t just tell callers why you are the best. Even better, prove it. Remember that you are speaking to your clients. Do not include content that you wouldn't say to them during a face-to-face encounter. So what information do you actually include beside the basics? Depending on the complexity of your product or service and the amount of time you expect callers to spend on hold.
Here are our top 5 tips for scripting your on hold message:
Step 1. Tell the caller where he or she is, and be courteous. “Thank you for calling ABC Corporation.”
Step 2. Give your caller something to think about. “ABC Corporation is a global provider of high-quality widgets. Our products have won the Worldwide Widget Awards 37 times, and are used by 60 of the Fortune 100 companies.”
Step 3. Tell the caller something they don't know about you. “We have been building widgets for 67 years, and our widgets are used in all rockets launched by NASA.”
Step 4. Is there any news your caller should know about? “This year, there is a one-time government program that allows you to write off from your 2011 taxes the first 157 widgets you buy. Also, ask about our special buy-three-widgets-and-get-one-free VIP promotion.”
Step 5. Remember to thank you caller for holding. “We value your widget business. Someone will be right with you.” The courtesy will be appreciated and will help diffuse any irritation some callers might have for being kept on hold at all, even if it's for short periods only.
With an efefctive on hold script, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty. Yes, with the help of a professional message on hold provider, you really can make a connection, and develop and execute "sales" messages that are needed, even requested, by your customers. Scripting your on hold message is the most important step in developing an on hold marketing strategy. It takes special skills and techniques to create and distribute relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action.