Improving your appeal in just thirty seconds: The benefits of putting your customers on hold
Come on, admit it; how many of you learned the words to Greensleeves simply so that you could sing along with the merry on-hold music you’ve become so accustomed to hearing? Whether it’s Greensleeves, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, or another easy-listening mash-up, on-hold music does have its benefits. After all, how else would customers know that their call continued to be important? As a nation, we’ve become pretty accustomed to on-hold music of every kind and, like it or loathe it, there’s a good chance we’d miss those dulcet tones if they were replaced by a continuous ring tone or eerie silence.
Hold music has a variety of benefits, least of all its ability to reassure customers that they remain your top priority; while there’s hold music playing, your customers know that they’re in a queue waiting to speak to you. Hold music can also enhance your corporate image, pitting your company against its biggest, and better-known competitors. What’s more, customers have very little concept of time if they’re busy humming along to the music you’ve provided; hold music can distort your customers’ perceptions of time, and reduce any anxiety or frustration they may have been feeling prior to being put on hold. Without that hold music your customers are left listening to ‘dead air’, which won’t enhance anybody’s day.
So far, so good; hold music can stay for the time being. However, as much as you might adore your on-hold music there is an alternative to the dulcet tones of Mozart and elevator ‘muzak’; a sales pitch that’s worth listening to. According to research, one in three customers will make purchases based upon information they’ve heard while on hold. Greensleeves might not inspire revenue, but a pre-recorded sales pitch, revealing details of new products and services certainly will. Can you really pass up such an opportunity to increase your business’s reach? Your hold patter could be as simple as interesting tidbits pertaining to your company, or you could use those thirty seconds to introduce a brand new product; the choice is yours. This is your company’s opportunity to use a cheap, but effective method of advertising. Delivered directly to your customers when they call, this message could be your business’s ticket towards something bigger – and you’ve had to do very little to get it out there.
You know, it’s true what they say; you won’t ever get a second chance to make a first impression, particularly when it comes to on-hold music. While you might be a lifelong fan of pan-pipe music, or medieval ballads it’s essential to consider your customers when choosing how to occupy that on-hold airtime. Get it right, and we’re sure you’ll be playing that on-hold music to an increasing number of customers. We hope that we’ve been able to give you food for thought, at least!
We’re in the business of improving your business’s ability to communicate. Please drop us a line if you feel our call logging and recording software could be of benefit to you. We promise we won’t keep you on hold all day…