While there are advantages to both on hold messages and on hold music, we’re going to take a stand and say messages win out. Why? At Spectrio, we think that any time spent waiting is a great opportunity for companies to promote their products and services, communicate with customers, and build their brands!
In an ideal world, nobody would ever have to be on hold. All of a company’s calls would be handled by one super-human with the magical ability to answer any and all questions, up-sell products and services, provide useful information, and convince callers to share their company’s name with friends and family. You’d always know what you were going to get…amazing customer service!
But this is the real world. Even if you have a small company, chances are your receptionist is not going to be able to answer technical questions, make sales, assist with billing errors, do all the scheduling, ordering, AND everything else that goes on there. And if your receptionist does handle all that…you better give that receptionist a HUGE raise!
What we’re trying to say is simple. In many cases, you’re going to have to put a caller on hold in order to get an answer to a question, transfer the call to a different department, process a payment, troubleshoot an issue, or any other number of situations. Why not use that time to promote an add-on to your caller’s service, or a special price on a product you’re trying to clear out of your stockroom, or even direct the caller to your website for more information about your company?
Now you may be thinking, are there any situations in which we would recommend music instead of messages? Of course! If your employees are quick to answer their phones when a call is transferred, or your caller’s average hold time is 30 seconds or less, music can be a good option to let them know you have not disconnected their call and that help is on the way.
Would you like to learn more about messages and music on hold? Visit our website here, give us a call at 800.584.4653 x6382 or email us. We’re happy to recommend the best on hold solution for your company!
[Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net]