June, 10 2010
You may not think much about what your callers hear on hold, but believe it or not, your telephone music on hold can have an influence on your bottom line!
One element that's often overlooked in your marketing arsenal is a tool designed to maximize customer satisfaction, and increase your revenue... MUSIC ON HOLD.The precious seconds when a caller is on hold can be converted from irritation to opportunity - from loss to gain. Music defines you, sets you apart and helps you succeed – from enhancing your product or service to actually impacting customer behavior. Music On Hold can be critical to how consumers perceive your business and brand.
"Music on hold connects with callers on an emotional level to create positive associations and lasting impressions. Music On Hold has both an emotional and psychological impact on your callers. Findings show that music on hold can influence a listener's thought, which in turn influences their behavior. This suggests that callers will wait on hold longer and reduce caller drop off rate (lost calls). But Music On Hold can also have an effect on influencing the callers decision making process. That’s right, studies show that when callers are exposed to music on hold & messages, it can result in a 16-20% increase to inquiries about the product or service being mentioned while on hold."
Nationwide insurance reports that callers wait up to 130% longer when hearing music on hold and messages. Other studies on the subject of Music On Hold also report that 53% of purchasing decisions are made on impulse, and 91% of caller’s behavior is affected by the type of music caller’s hear on hold. Another reason the having good Music On Hold and Messages is vital to your business is the traction callers have with social media outlets in relation to their experience while on hold with your company both good or bad. If you leave your valuable callers on hold with dead silence or cheesy elevator music, they just may tell the world about it via Twitter, facebook and other social media forums. In a matter of moments callers can reach out and inform thousands about their experience with your company, and you want to keep callers happy and prevent damage to your brand reputation.
Real estate agents are known to employ the positive psychological and emotional affect of the smell of fresh-baked bread or chocolate chip cookies wafting through the air to help create positive feelings about a house they are showing. The right choice in your music on hold could have a similar impact on your callers' ears!
Excite, sooth or move. It’s not magic. It's music on hold.