Music On Hold

Brand management is an essential component of any organization. Everything attached to a business – from the content of its marketing messages to the color of its office window shades, represent what the company is all about. When prospective customers call an organization, everything they hear will automatically be associated with that business' values and mission.

Sure there’s lot of stats about the benefits of messaging and music on hold, but even with all these proven facts and impressive stats about how it improves the customer experience, enhances brand image & communication and sells more — It still takes some brands longer to wake up smell the on-hold button opportunity! Let me ask you this: If you’re own a brick and mortar business, do you simply ignore customer’s when they’re in the store?…. Are you an online brand that doesn’t use the necessary tools try to capture more leads, engage and convert more visitors? ….Of Course Not! However, If you’ve answered yes, then you may now go back to being asleep at the wheel. Here’s a giant wake-up call folks!

Constructing an on hold marketing message that puts the company in a positive light is certainly important. Each and every word spoken through the hold messaging should be chosen carefully and used to represent the business in the best possible way. The same goes for hold music.

The tune that is ultimately selected to play while callers wait on hold can make or break the chances of that individual staying on the line to speak with a live representative. While very few people want to wait in silence, even fewer want to listen to something unappealing to the ear.

Remember, once your company decides to go with this music – even if you didn't compose or record the piece – your organization will be represented by it as long as it continues to play for callers waiting on hold. That's why it's so important to make the right decision about what music to use.

A depressing song probably won't lift the caller's spirits as the minutes tick away. An egregiously slow song could put the caller to sleep before they even get a chance to ask questions about your organization. Business owners tend to have an image that they associate with their company. The music should represent that image. If your organization is laid back, the music can reflect that. If it's very corporate, the tone of the song should be a bit more serious.
 

Here’s some reasons your brand needs an on-hold wake up call

Sell more products and services

With fewer opportunities in play these days, and with increased competition your phone’s on-hold button allows you to broaden your marketing channel, and present a real-marketing opportunity! Callers on hold represent a captive, interested and highly targeted audience. They’ve called because they’re already interested in what you offer, but here is your chance to bend their ear, and let them know what else you can do for them.

Caller abandonment means you’re frustrating callers and losing potential revenues

Silent hold causes callers’ to think they’ve been disconnected or hung up on. Frustrating your callers is a major contributor of having a high rate of call abandonment (hang-ups/lost calls). Today’s callers quickly go elsewhere if they don’t get what they’re looking for right away. If you think you’re not losing potential revenues due to caller abandonment, then think again! Studies show that caller abandonment costs businesses the equivalent of between 10-15% of what their gross annual sales. Can you really afford that type of revenue loss?

Your competition is using on-hold messages, how about you?

If you see a very successful competitor doing something chances are it is making them money or they wouldn’t be doing it!  And, if it works for them, it can work for you to! When you compare your competitor’s on-hold experience to yours, it doesn’t take long to hear the difference. The flip side to this is, while it’s important to pay attention to what your competitors are doing. It is equally important to pay attention to what they are not doing.  If they’re not using a professional on hold system, maybe they have dropped the ball and overlooked something that could be hugely profitable for you.

Be the brand of choice

Brand image is defined as the impression in the consumers’ mind of a brand’s total personality, both real and imaginary qualities and shortcomings. How is your telephone brand image perceived? Call yourself, and get placed on hold. You may be shocked to discover how your telephone brand image is perceived by prospective customers! Do you make no impression, or even worse a bad first impression? …Or, Do you have a well nuanced audio brand image? An investment in a message on hold system will go a long way toward maintaining a positive brand image.

Call Retention

On-hold messages help keep callers waiting on the line. A CNN survey's findings show that 70 percent of callers who are on hold in silence hang up within 60 seconds; of them, 35 percent won't call back. Some callers hearing nothing think they were hung up on, while others become more frustrated by the wait. A North American Telecommunications Association study found that callers who had information to listen to remained on hold up to three minutes longer.

Marketing Opportunity

On-hold messages allow a company to market to the caller while keeping her on the line. A phone company can use on-hold messaging to tell customers about a new service or feature; when the caller reaches a live person, she has an immediate opportunity to ask about a feature mentioned in the message. On-hold messaging also allows a business to connect a caller with information about and access to ordering a product or service immediately, increasing the chances the caller will buy it. Essentially, it's free marketing with little additional cost to the business and instant listeners.

Information Relay

A business can use on-hold messages to reduce call volume. Messaging that answers a common question or provides information about an unusual occurrence help reduce the number of calls that must be fielded by live reps. For example, a utility company can use on-hold messaging to explain a service outage in a particular area and provide an estimated time for service restoration. Callers who called to report the outage often hang up after hearing the message, as they don't need to speak to a live person anymore.

While you're ramping up your Internet and social media budget, don't forget that many of your best customers or would be customers still reach you on the phone. How are you addressing that?

Even through the modern evolution of business communication, one ideal stands firm: customers will always pick up the phone. A timeless and extremely effective act, phone communication is still key to most business success.  Hundreds of millions of calls per day are placed to businesses from customers who order, ask, and receive answers to their questions or problems.

Callers will, more likely than not, be placed on hold during their calls, where businesses have the opportunity to not only reinforce marketing, customer service and branding strategies, but also to turn inquiry into eventual dollar signs.

There are many choices out there, so finding the best music could be a challenge. However, working with Fortune500 Image will help your company implement music or message on hold that fits best. Feel free to give us a call at (561) 899-9310 so may find a solution that is right for your organization.