Branding You’re a national delivery service and you’ve just rolled out the new slogan, “We’ll get it there tomorrow—or it’s free.” You’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on traditional media buys to enforce the new slogan. But for less than a dollar a day, every caller placed on hold will hear the slogan. Considering that the average business receives more than 100 calls a day, the per-impression cost is practically zero.
Diffuse negative emotions One of your customers received an incorrect shipment from you. When they call you, they are angry and frustrated. While the customer service rep places the caller on hold to check the order history, the caller hears hip, contemporary music and a pleasant voice assuring the caller that “we’re doing everything we can to come back to your call just as soon as possible” as well as “your satisfaction is important to us. If there’s anything we can do to explain a procedure or a service we offer, don’t hesitate to ask.” If the customer service rep’s attitude matches that of your on-hold message, your customer will feel that you truly are doing everything possible to take care of them and their concerns.
Shape perceptions There’s nothing worse than calling a company and being placed on hold in silence—one wonders if they’ve been hung up on. Or worse yet, they begin to form a negative opinion about the company because it appears you didn’t think through every aspect of your relationship with them—in person, on the phone, and on hold. Too many companies miss opportunities to shape how their customers feel about them—all because they neglected their callers’ on-hold experience.
Questions to Ask Before Selecting an On Hold Messaging Vendor
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Julie Cook is Vice President and co-founder of Easy On Hold, an on-hold messaging company serving a variety of businesses in the United States and abroad.. Founded in 1997, Easy On Hold focuses on making the on-hold experience easy, fast and affordable. Easy On Hold is the only on-hold provider that makes free, no-obligation demos for prospective customers so they can ‘try before they buy.’ “On-hold messaging is marketing at its most basic level,” says Julie. “You have a captive audience to whom you have a message to deliver. If you do it right, your on-hold message can powerfully build your brand and your relationship with each and every caller. Subtle yet effective.” Find out more at EasyOnHold.
