Choosing ‘On Hold’ for your organisation? Things to consider.
Psychologically Reduces Hold Time
Reduces "Caller Hang-Ups"
Improves Customer Relationships
Enhances Corporate Image
Obtains Competitive Edge
Informs Callers About Existing Services
Introduces New Products/Services
Creates Revenue
Develops Cross Marketing Opportunities
Avoids Impersonal Automated Sound
The options are:
Silence – silence is golden, but do your customers know they are still connected?
Beeps – customers know they are connected, but not very informative.
Music – useful for passing the time, but does what you play accurately reflect your business? and does it keep your customers happy?
Radio – great entertainment, but radio stations are commercial operations themselves and will be advertising others peoples products and services....on your time!
Messaging – by far the best solution for any business. Gives you the chance to talk to your customers and use this otherwise wasted time to inform and educate a captive audience!
The most effective tool in any On Hold Marketing plan is a professionally produced and recorded mix of message and music
Voice artist - choosing the right voice
The right sounding voice is essential, but make sure that it's a professional voice artist that does your talking. There are plenty of actors with nice voices but may not give the correct delivery. A young, go-ahead company requires a voice that reflects this: young vibrant voices are key. Maybe you need to deliver instructions? then a mature, authoratative voice would suit best.
Music - making the right choice
The music track must suit your business and your promotions, but has also to be acceptable to your customers. Personal taste should not be a consideration. All styles and genres are useable, but only when placed in the right context. As before, young upbeat music works well with young up-beat promotions. More restrained choices should be made for productions that must deliver more serious content.
PRS - Do I need a license?
Not if you employ the services of a well established On Hold company. Most will hold libraries of copyright free music which require no license at all. Commercial music and radio however do require licensing and this can be costly, especially if you have a large switchboard. If you copy music from CD to your telephone system you will also require an MCPS license in addition to the PRS license.
Production - the right tools and expertise
The production facility is of prime importance. All modern computers can record audio but there is much, much more to a professional production facility than a multimedia PC. It's all about quality, and it takes a long track record of professional experience to make an On Hold production stand out as something special. The production team must be experienced and fluent in a whole range of skills if your production is to have the right impact.
Enhance Your Corporate Image
Improve Customer Relationships
Avoid Impersonal Automated Sound Or 'Silence'
Cross Marketing
Introduce New Products And Services
Psychologically Reduces Hold Time
You Don't Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression