What did you do the last time you were placed
on hold and all you heard was silence?
Did you become frustrated?
Did you hang up?
Did you call back?
70% of all business calls are placed on hold.
88% will hang up if they HEAR silence WHILE on hold.
34% won't call back.
90% prefer messages on hold to any other option.
On Hold time is the perfect time to:
educate your callers about new products & services, promote special
offers, generate traffic to your website, enhance your company's image,
and most of all… decrease caller abandonment.
On-hold marketing is one of the most powerful and cost effective marketing
tools used by successful businesses for one simple
reason - it works! Market
directly to a captive and interested audience – your callers.
You spend valuable time and money to get potential
customers to call your business. Turn your
callers into customers, enhance customer awareness, improve
customer loyalty, and increase your bottom line.
ALTERNATIVES TO
MESSAGES ON HOLD
Dead
Silence on hold is a customer killer. Giving
your customers or prospects the silent treatment is probably the worst thing you can do! Callers left in
silence become frustrated quickly, and may think they've
been disconnected. Studies show that considerably more
than half of all callers put on "silent hold" hang up
within the first minute — and more than 30% of them won't
call back.
Playing the Radio
on hold is one of the best ways to advertise for your
competition. Sounds sort of silly
advertising for a competitor, doesn’t it? Well, that may be
just what you're doing if you play the radio on hold.
Additionally, U.S. Copyright laws require most businesses
to pay for the rights to play music that is broadcast to
customers or be subject to substantial fines.
Performance rights fees are
collected and policed by organizations such as
ASCAP,
BMI and
SEASAC.
Canned Music can
be a very expensive alternative to on hold messaging.
Yes, having something for your callers to listen to
while on hold is definitely more beneficial and
respectful than ignoring
them with dead silence, but you are still missing a very
valuable marketing opportunity.
