You call up a company, and after you go through the different voice prompts, you are put on hold to listen to a tune or message until a company representative picks up the phone. This is a scenario that everybody knows all too well. But have you ever taken the time to think about why so many businesses from around the world use music-on-hold (MOH)? Here are several reasons why this simple practice is so important.
1: Call Retention
Many studies show that up to 70% of callers will hang up within a minute if they are on-hold in silence. Furthermore, 35% of them will not call back as they would assume they were hung upon. On-hold music and messaging help keep callers waiting for an estimate of 3 minutes, which gives telephone operators enough time to pick up the phone and assist their clients.
2: It Is Entertaining
Everybody loves music, and music keeps people calm and entertained while they are waiting, and the latter is something that everybody hates. This on-hold music will also improve the communication between your clients and your customer support team as operators can have a hard time answering the questions of irritated clients.
3: It Can Be Used for Product Placement
People that call your customer center are either your clients or are interested in becoming one. Either way, on-hold music and messaging is an excellent way to tell them more about your company, services, and merchandise so that you can get more of their business. Few people like listening to sales presentation so instead of irritating them and putting your representatives in a tight corner, use the time while they are on-hold to pass important information, after all, they have no choice but to listen to it until they can speak with one of your employees.
4: It Displays Professionalism
Every major company and brand in the world used on-hold music and messaging. The practice is so common that it has become a benchmark for professionalism. Whether you are a start-up or established business, using MOH will enable you to display your professionalism and customer-centered policies. Choosing the best on hold music can be overwhelming, which is why you shouldn’t be hesitant to request the assistance of experts who specialize in on-hold messaging and music.
5: You Can Showcase Your Creativity
Most companies used the same tunes and the same messages for their on-hold strategy and missed an excellent opportunity to display their creativity and uniqueness. Regardless of whether your company is part of a competitive or niche industry, it is never easy to stand out from the competition, especially if you are a start-up. Choose music that is different and present information about your business in a fun and entertaining way. Also, turn extra attention to the timing of the messages, as nobody wants to be kept on hold for 5 minutes only to hear 30 seconds of relevant information.
Now that you know the benefits of music on-hold start planning your MOH strategy by choosing the melody, tune, or song that best represents your company.
