Music On Hold News

Survey Confirms “Being On Hold” Makes Customers Angry

In an article called, “Know What Makes Your Customers Angry”, guest writer Marco Pacelli (CEO, ClickFox) writes in Bloomberg Businessweek about customer service slip-ups that can get customers hot and bothered.

In a survey, ClickFox asked more than 1,500 consumers what really makes them get ticked off. Their top three responses:

• Speaking with multiple agents and starting over every time.

• Dealing with rude or inexperienced representatives or service technicians.

• Being kept on hold for long periods of time or unable to use self-service options successfully.

Losing customers is not an option… so why not pull out all the stops to help your callers get to know you or fall in love with you all over again. In addition to the tips in the original article, we would like to offer a few ways your music on hold message can be utilized to help with common customer irritations.

Be consistent. If using an auto-attendant, use the same voice as your on-hold messaging. This helps gives the impression of a seamless operation and cuts down on the feeling that the caller is being bounced around to different connections and agents.

Remember why callers are reaching out to you. Do the callers want technical help? Price quotes? Need to make an appointment? Convince your callers that you know their needs by targeting specific announcements in your messages on hold. Stay away from generic hold music solutions.

Promote web service. If callers can get help online, carefully instruct them to use your site to their benefit.  Be certain to use this information in your hold music message. You may be able to save them a phone call–and save them the frustration of having to wait on hold.

Don’t put it off! Ask yourself, which caller can I do without? Which caller is going to bring in business? Can I afford to lose even one call?

6 Characteristics of an Effective Message On Hold Script

If you’re considering a custom-scripted music and message on hold audio announcement on your telephone system, take a moment to ask yourself, “What do I wish to accomplish with my script?”

Keep in mind that you only have the caller for a short time. You’ll need to be succinct and to the point. You’ll need to use “economy of words” while keeping the caller engaged. Rather than provide a list of “dos” and “donts”, I have compiled a list of six characteristics of a message on hold script that can keep focus where it belongs: on the customer getting a good impression of your company and a better idea of why calling was the right move.

Authoritative. Take pride in being the expert in the field—the ultimate authority. The authoritative voice is reassuring and confident, but not boastful.

• You want_______ and we’re committed to providing it…
• Looking for _________? Turn to us, like more than 50 Fortune-500 firms did last year.
• We can give you the advantage…
• When second-best is not an option…
• When we started in (year), we set out to do things differently.

Compelling. Studies show that a well-crafted message on hold will make one minute seem like 40 seconds to someone waiting for their call to be picked up. The job of the on-hold content is to inform, yes, but its foremost task is to keep the caller from disengaging. Here are some ideas.

Use a short, familiar phrase that quickly engages the listener.

• Ready, set…
• Everybody likes…
• Nobody likes…
• The good news is…
• The best of the best -
• Time flies when you’re having fun –
• Stop me if you’ve heard this one –
• Need to stand out in the crowd?

Another way to compel the listener is to ask a question…

• Have you ever…?
• Remember when…?
• Have you hear the news…?

Conversational. Most people can spot a meaningless or manipulative presentation a mile away. A “one-on-one”, conversational tone can gain the trust of the listener.

Unreal Person (avoid)                         vs.                       Real Person (you)

We’ll be with you momentarily                                       We’ll be right with you

Thank you for your willingness to hold                        Thanks for holding

All of you should know…                                                    You should know (one-to-one)

Further,                                                                                       Oh, and one more thing…

Undoubtedly,                                                                            Without a doubt

It has come to our attention                                               We’ve noticed

In retrospect                                                                              Looking back

Credible. Want to be credible? Be specific.  In an effort to add real meat to the message, find some facts. See my previous post, Credibility Sells.

Friendly. Over the 13 years we’ve been in business, we’ve often asked clients to describe the style or tone of their custom spoken message. The terms heard most often are, “friendly” and “professional”. What drives this?

It’s not just the insipid brochure-talk and synthesized music that turn people off while holding. It’s the very fact that they have been placed on hold. While standing in line at the bank, a man was overheard explaining, “I called your bank and you put me on hold.” He was angry to have been placed on hold. People want personal attention and they want it now. While the bank manager could not avoid the man’s hold time, he could have had a voice on-hold that was so friendly and professional that the experience would have been at least tolerable for even the most irritable customer. Please watch for my upcoming post on this topic. Being friendly is critical… and we’ve got a lot to say about it. Stay tuned.

Helpful. Put more meat in your message on hold. When a caller is being helped, he/she won’t hang up. How can our script provide “help”?

Frequently-Asked Questions

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• Services
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Solve A Problem
A caller may want to know, “have I called the right place?” It is reassuring to hear that my problem is about to be solved. One of the questions our sales staff is to ask the Easy On Hold client is, “What problem do you solve for your callers?”

• Nobody likes a noisy neighbor. That’s why you’ll be glad to know our air conditioners have been rated the quietest brand 3 years in a row. (Notice the familiar phrase lead-in, the focus on you and the specifics—3 years! This is almost a complete paragraph/segment. Just add a tease close such as, “You’ll hear a lot more about the quiet air conditioner when we pick up the line in just a moment.”)
• Identity theft happens millions of times each year. With Wachovia Bank’s “Crest Protect” program, you’ll be safe.
• Keeping your home’s carpets clean isn’t easy, especially in the winter. Fortunately, getting them to look like new again is easy.
• Will the new airline regulations cause you to change your travel plans? Pick up some great new travel tips on our website: Capital Travel dot com.
• Want to know how to get more miles per gallon? Clean filters and properly inflated tires can help, but for all around better performance, bring your car to the experts at Kyle’s Garage for a tune up.

I’ve shared with you some of the vast knowledge we’ve gained over years of working with thousands of music on hold messaging customers. There is a right way to do it. It is not as simple as it may seem. Work with an expert when it comes to properly handling your customers on hold. 70% of your callers will experience “on-hold time”. What they hear says a lot about you.

Credibility Sells

A custom music on hold message can make your company sound professional. Go a step further, however, and be sure to include trust-building statements that are backed up by facts.

What evidence does a decision-maker have that your company is a good choice? Making general claims such as, “We’re dedicated…” or, “No one beats our deals…” just won’t tip the scales in your favor any more. You need to provide proof.

Want to be credible? Be specific. As in numbers. In an effort to add real meat to the message on hold,  articulate specific, relevant facts. Here are some examples:

• Ten years in the business. Fifty-five parts professionals. Five-hundred-thousand parts in stock.
• This winter, four out of every ten homes will lose fifty dollars-worth of energy because of leaky windows.
• Last year we answered one-hundred percent of our service calls within five hours.
• One dealership offers free car washes for life. One dealership provides a one-hundred-thousand-mile warranty on every certified pre-owned vehicle.
• While many businesses are reducing staff, Omnicast increased our service staff by 25 percent in 2009.
• Our fourteen service vehicles cover all of northern Ohio, so you won’t have to wait when you need us.

Your hold music message is not a company brochure. It’s a golden opportunity to put forward facts and ideas that tell a potential buyer that they’ve made the right call.

Dental & Orthodontics On Hold Messages Recommended

A new post by OurGoodHealth.org makes a recommendation to orthodontic offices: use smart messages on hold to inform patients and parents.

With our media driven society, it is important to get your message out as often as possible. But more importantly, on hold messages build confidence in your practice, and serve to let your callers know they are appreciated.

It’s a nice little article containing some ideas for the dental and orthodontic office: On Hold Messages And Orthodontics Wired For Success.

Put Yourself On Hold And See How YOU Like It

I called my office this afternoon, and was placed on hold. Ah, yes–that is indeed what callers hear every day. Instantly I got a few ideas for good things to talk about.

Have you called, as a customer or business associate would, and listened to what they hear on hold? Most business executives I speak with rarely hear they own on hold message, and don’t give it a thought.

Here’s a clip from a discussion board that provides a little insight into how people react to being on hold, when there is little or no information to hold their interest:

They played lovely classical music–which was interrupted EVERY 30 SECONDS to tell me that my call was important to them, and to stay on the line and my call would be answered as soon as possible. EVERY 30 seconds! I timed it! So what’s YOUR biggest phone system irritation?

Please don’t waste the callers time with bland statements that are not helpful. You should know your callers, make their concerns your own and work with a professional messages on hold script writer to develop content that can make the difference between hostility and hospitality.

Your Call Is Not Important To Us, Please Hold

“If my call is so important, then why did you place me on hold?”

As a business owner, you may not have a choice. Some “on-hold” time is going to happen. The problems start when you ignore your hold time or mismanage it.

Boston area Internet marketing consultant Bill Enross puts forth a thought-provoking profile of today’s consumer. Among a long list of characteristics are:

* She expects someone to answer the phone when she calls that can actually HELP.
* She is SICK of off-shore call centers, erroneously called “help desks.”
* She is SICK of you telling him how important her call is while she stands on hold.
* She is SICK of your recorded hold message.
* She demands the truth. All the time.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Your caller knows she is on hold. Use that time to talk to her. Imagine what help she could use and provide some insight using short, conversational statements.

If hold time is inevitable, then use it strategically, using the caller’s perspective.