Use Message-on-Hold and Make Money Part II

Concluding our discussion of yesterday:

What you must remember

Remember, your caller had a reason for dialing your number, and it was not to listen to your M-O-H. Your number one job is to keep that customer from hanging up during the wait. Too often, new clients instinct is to try to include everything a caller might want to know about the company, their product lines, and the new website.

If you've have someone on hold long enough to hear all that, you're demonstrating a fundamental disregard for your customers' time, and no M-O-H can overcome that (Last week, I was on hold for over ten minutes...I stayed just to see how long it would be...but I won't call that hotel back!).

I always ask a new client how long they generally have customers on hold before they are connected with the party for whom they are holding. In general, most hope to have their callers on hold no more than 30 seconds, but we all know that is not always the case (in fact, the national average in closer to 45 seconds).

The ideal message

To accommodate a reasonable on hold time and make an impact with your message, I suggest copy not to exceed twenty (20) seconds in length. You may, and certainly should, have multiple messages on your system for those inevitable longer holds, but each should be concise (remember the billboard analogy).

Remember too, your message should ask the caller to take some action. You may choose to ask callers to ask their representative for further information about what they've heard, or check your website for details, or call the receptionist to be placed on the mailing list.

Music...the tie that binds

The style of music you choose for your “M-O-H” is more than personal preference. Music under the message and between messages should compliment your product and business. Music appropriate for a hospital or funeral home is necessarily different than that for a movie theatre or restaurant.

Whatever the style, the music should not overpower your message. You never want to hear callers complain your message interrupted the music, after all...the message is what you've paid for!

Speaking of paying, there are license fees required for use of music, these fees must be paid annually whether your production company bills for them separately or embeds the fee as a recurring part of your invoice.

A powerful tool

Message-on-hold is an opportunity that makes sense. Studies indicate over seventy percent of business callers are placed on hold; callers to educate, cultivate and motivate. Companies taking advantage of this “wasted time” may find new streams of revenue from existing and new customers alike. Don't miss out on this powerful tool. Copyright 2005 - Bill Sharp