“What type of business do you have?” asked my new acquaintance. “We make the messages–you know, the audio people hear while they are on hold,” I proudly smiled back. “You mean the, ‘please hold your call is important’ on hold messages?” I hesitated, then shot back, “Well, ours are the good ones. On hold music and messages have changed since the elevator music days.” But inevitably, the conversation dies at the thought of the dreaded on hold greeting that falsely purports that every caller is somehow a priority. What I do for a living is a real killer at holiday parties.
By the way, happy holidays and Merry Christmas. We’re wrapping up 2011 with high hopes that 2012 will be the year the image of the old phony on-hold message is finally replaced with the true vision of marketing messages on hold that inspire, inform and motivate callers. That’s what we offer here at Easy On Hold!
We’ve dedicated a good deal of time developing scripting protocols aimed at improving hold content, including:
- Focusing on the callers’ needs
- Communicating to the callers’ point of view
- Using comfortable language and avoiding “corp-speak”
- Digging to find out what callers are looking for, and satisfying their curiosity about the company they’ve called
Music On Hold Message content can be compelling!
In 2012, Easy On Hold will be continuing to upgrade our facility. In the last year we put our new recording studio in operation, utilizing new technology and isolated voiceover recording room. We’ll be revamping the website and providing more information for online access than ever before. We’ve been setting up a very sophisticated new customer relationship management system that will improve communications with clients and generate meticulous tasks for Easy On Hold staff to complete, in an effort to raise the bar on customer service. We’ve strengthened our relationships with equipment manufacturers, streamlined delivery processes, built a bigger, more specialized staff of music on hold experts and signed a new agreement with BMG music, covering performance rights on a bigger, better, newer library of music.
It all adds up, we expect, to a year of very high-quality productions and strong customer relationships–so those on hold messages will inspire, inform and motivate callers. Maybe then, we’ll be able to change the public perception of messages on hold. Maybe then we’ll get a little respect. High hopes for 2012.
Happy new year.
