Larry Pfeil is the Vice President of A Cooler Audio Technology, Inc., developers of the patented NetSmart On Hold® Internet-based on hold messaging systems. ACAT Specializes in on hold messaging systems and services for large multi-location accounts. You can find out more on our websites at www.customercareonhold.com and www.acat1.com.
Inbound sales calls are a precious commodity. Considering the amount of money that a company spends to generate a single inbound call, it is imperative that each call is handled as efficiently and effectively as possible. Any caller that hangs up before the call can be handled represents a waste of the advertising dollars spent to generate the call. A Business is most vulnerable to losing an inbound caller due to hang up during any period in which the caller is placed on hold. However, a well-crafted and properly targeted on hold message program can greatly diminish caller loss due to hang ups.
Just what is a well-crafted on hold message? Effective use of on hold airtime requires specialized understanding of this unique medium and the peculiarities of queue psychology. There is certainly more to on hold messaging than filling dead air with sound, but there is no single right answer for what makes an on hold message work.
However, there are a few things that definitely DON'T work. The most common have been boiled down to a list metaphorically called the seven deadly sins of on hold messaging. These are common mistakes that companies make when creating on hold productions that can actually cause callers to hang up:
The Seven Deadly Sins of On Hold Messaging
1. Reminding the caller that they are on hold (e.g. "thank you for holding");
2. Focusing the callers attention to the passage of time (e.g. "we're sorry for your wait/delay");
3. Playing music at a reduced volume behind the voice message, common in radio advertising, that causes a "left-brain/right-brain" or "logic/emotion" conflict;
4. Playing a corporate jingle or other "irritation advertising" devices, commonly used in radio advertising, to callers on hold;
5. Playing familiar music that evokes lyrics in the mind of callers, interfering with their ability to concentrate on your important message being conveyed;
6. Playing a short program that repeats every 1 to 3 minutes; and
7. Trying to get too much information across too fast by placing voice spots close together without a sufficient music break between them.
The unique characteristics of on hold airtime present a golden opportunity to provide an attentive caller with information and entertainment that will keep them on the line and generate interest in the specific products and services a company chooses to promote. In contrast, hold time also presents a significant risk that the caller may hang up before their call can be taken, resulting in lost sales and wasted advertising dollars. Avoiding the seven deadly sins of marketing on hold is a first step to reducing the number of hang-ups of inbound phone calls.
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