Messages on Hold
It's amazing that, in this digital
age, there are still businesses that do
not have any type of recording on their
phone systems. Any business that puts a
customer on hold without some sort of
recorded message for them to hear is
doing themselves (and their callers) a
huge disservice.
On-Hold
Greetings are essential forms of
marketing in today's business world.
These short snippets of information
about your business are usually recorded
over a piece of music. They not only
relay important facts about your
products or service, they also help the
caller pass the time while waiting for
you to return on the line.
Messages
On Hold should not be confused with
IVR (Interactive Voice Response) which
is an entirely separate part of the
phone system. IVRs are messages which
request a response from the caller, thus
the name, while On-Hold Greetings are
purely a form of marketing that
"entertains" your callers while you're
away.
Think of all the things
you'd like to tell every one of your
prospective customers about your
business but don't have the opportune
time to do so. With a 3 to 4 minute
recorded On Hold Greeting you can!
Common items include
- Your hours of business
- Directions to your location(s)
- Methods of payment
- Your website and/or email address
- And - of course - some sort of apology for
having them on hold and an assurance
that "someone will be with them
shortly".
But there is so much
more you can include! Thought starters
are great tools to use in your
On-Hold
message. For example, if you're in
the Legal or Medical Profession , why
not paint a short scenario for your
caller and then describe how a specific
service of yours can help resolve it?
Speaking of services, you should list
the services you offer, especially those
that may not be obvious to the callers.
Also remind them to ask about a service
or product when you return to the phone.
Choice of music is
important! First of all,
be sure the music your select is Royalty
Free. Copyright Laws for music are clear
cut and using a selection without
permission from the rightful owner can
become a costly nightmare for your
company! There is a vast amount of
royalty free music available in
practically every style and genre.
Generally speaking, these selections are
paid for once, and then you are free to
use them for whatever purpose ad
infinitum. Be certain that whoever
produces your
On-Hold
Greetings uses this type of music.
The style of music should be an
extension of your business, yet in no
way overpower or distract from the
message. Soft "elevator" type selections
work best. No matter what genre you use,
remember that you want to soothe and
inform your callers while they are
waiting to speak to you. Don't use
anything that results in restlessness or
a desire to hang up.
Finally, consider doing
Seasonal On-Hold Messages. Changing up
the copy
and the music to fit the season will
sound timely to your callers and keep
them interested in your message longer.
Let VoiceOvers By Walt develop a custom
On Hold Greeting for your business!
Please listen to some samples on our
Demo page.
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