“Hello, is anybody there?”
“Did you just hang up on me?”
“I don’t hear anything, what’s going on?”
These are NOT questions you ever want callers to your business to ask. But, if you don’t use hold music, you’re running the risk of having potential customers ask these questions. The problem is that you won’t hear them asking anything. They’ll have hung up on the phone before you’ve had an opportunity to return to the line in order to provide the customer service they were hoping to get.
Perhaps, your customer service is stellar. However, if you place a caller on hold and he/she hears nothing, it usually calls into question whether or not the call was disconnected. Hold music, on the other hand, guarantees a caller that the call is still active. You may be surprised to know just how integral hold music is to your business.
Defeating a stereotype about hold music.
“It’s annoying.”
“It makes me want to hang up.”
“I’d rather hear nothing at all.”
These and other negative comments about hold music are either grossly over exaggerated or simply not true at all. It is true that not every song played during hold time is going to be a favourite of the person on hold. However, hold music is vastly much preferred over dead silence. On the This American Life podcast, Sara Corbett explains how her 81 year-old father-in-law sometimes calls offices just to hear hold music.
The songs he’s heard has interested him so greatly that he has often tried to find out more about them in order to get copies for himself. In one particular case, he learned that a favourite song was an exclusive creation for the business that played it during its hold times.
Showcasing your originality – a top benefit.
Your hold music has the ability to separate your brand from all the others. If you choose to use hold music of the custom-made variety, it can work wonders in impressing the people who hear it. It’s no different than your company logo. The music your callers hear should provide a distinct difference between your brand and its competitors.
Many voiceover professionals attest to the fact that custom hold music projects and maintains a professional image of a business to its calling customers. As everyone knows, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Consider the number of first callers your company is bound to receive and ensure what they hear, while they’re on hold, is something that will be both enjoyable and memorable.
Hold time is advertising time.
Many companies opt for original commercials in place of music alone. That way, when callers are placed on hold, the companies give themselves opportunities to advertise their latest products, sales, discounts and in-store events. Hold time, in fact, is the perfect time to grow your brand’s image. A lack of custom hold music or commercials isn’t just dead air – it’s many missed opportunities!
Custom Hold Music is one of the many features that come with MeloTel’s Commercial Phone Services. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website!
