No one likes to be put on hold, especially your customers. But it’s nearly impossible to always have someone readily available to answer each call straight away. Every company knows this. Fortunately, there are things you can do to enhance your caller’s experience and that is, by using a proper phone on hold message.
An effective on hold message will promote your brand, products, and services AND make sure your customer stays on the line. Here are some ideas you can consider when creating your own on hold message:
- Do not allow even a few seconds of silence. This is the first rule that you must always keep in mind. Even the lamest music is preferable to silence, simply because the caller isn’t sure if the line was cut off. And time goes by so very slowly in silence, and your customer will just get bored. A CNN study found that among business callers, 60% hang up when they encounter silence while on hold while 30% don’t ever bother to call back again.
- Stop using beeps. While this sound does confirm that the caller is still connected, it’s still annoying! There’s also a very good chance your caller will hang up just so they won’t have to listen to that aggravating sound.
- Reveal crucial information. What does your company do? Tell them in your on-hold message. Describe the products you manufacture, the items you sell, or the services you provide. A dental clinic can name the dental services they provide, while a law firm may describe the legal areas they specialise in. You can also tell callers about your deli’s opening and closing time.
- Share news. You can highlight any promotions or discounts you may be offering at the moment or you can point out any awards your firm has received. Tell them about your community programs or give them a heads up about any upcoming event in which your company is involved.
- Consider the season. If it’s a special holiday, give your callers a special greeting. You can even time your promotions and discounts for special holidays.
- Use an engaging voice. You may want to think about using professional voice talents, instead of a voice that sounds computer generated. The voice should sound professional yet friendly. And of course, the speaker should be easily understood and should speak clearly. There shouldn’t be any awkward pauses with ums and aahs in between words or phrases.
- Try to be creative. Maybe you can mention trivia or interesting bits of info about your company, brand or your industry.
Remember – you already have a caller on the line. Don’t waste this opportunity to give them a message that will promote your brand and convince them to do more business with you.
