It’s everyone’s least favorite part of calling a service company. “Could I place you on hold for a moment?”
Well, do I have an option? Didn’t think so.
One of the worst parts of being on hold, is the hold music that goes with it, also known as elevator music (because hotels and department stores love to use it in their elevators) or simply, muzak.
We all know the kind of muzak I’m talking about: a muffled instrumental version of Wind Beneath My Wings or a zippy Girl from Ipanema. Muzak is always at least a few decades out of style.
It doesn’t need to be that way. When it comes to choosing what your callers hear while they wait, you can not only deliver hold music that belongs in the twenty-first century, but you can use the wait time to give your customers information they’ll find useful.
We’d like to offer three simple guidelines when using hold music: Only use music you love. Give your callers great info. And change it up often!
1. Use Music You Love
If you don’t want to hear it, your customers probably don’t want to either! We suggest using only high-quality hold music, and Phone.com offers free professional hold music as part of your base plan. You can choose from well-known movie soundtracks, classy orchestral and piano music, soft rock (with tunes you’ll like, we promise) and more.
At only $0.99 per month, our premium hold music offers a dozen channels with music by well-known artists, specifically licensed for use as hold music. Artists include Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and more.
When picking music, ask a friend—or better yet, your kids—for their opinion on your choice. Most of all, consider what your customers would like. If you own a music school, high-quality classics would be perfect, but if you own a chain of tattoo studios, you probably want something more current.
If you know musicians or have access to licensed recordings, you can also upload your own hold music—you might want to play a custom jingle or other music that promotes your products and services. Keep in mind, though, that you’re legally required to have the appropriate copyrights for any file that you use as hold music.
If you need help producing a jingle or music, keep in mind that we also offer a greeting service that can produce a professional greeting or hold music file for you for around $100, and in just a few days.
2. Give Your Callers Great Info
The time callers wait in a call queue, or to be transferred, can be used in a variety of ways. Your call-handling settings can be customized to play hold music or an informational message.
Use hold time creatively! Welcome new customers and give them a quick overview of your services. Advertise a special discount code, making it worth their while to wait on hold. Talk about new or novel products, again offering a good discount. Wish them a Happy Valentine’s Day! The key is to make it worth your customer’s while to stay on hold.
3. Please Change It Up!
Even the most patient caller is going to tire of the same old music at some point. Use your call-handling settings to the max by alternating music and info clips every 30 seconds or so. Callers will appreciate the variety.
Also make sure you use a mix of songs in your hold-music collection so that frequent callers don’t hear the same tune every time they call. And change your hold-music selection entirely from time to time—Shake it up, baby!—but now I’m sounding like an elevator version of the Isley Brothers, or was it The Beatles? Ah, muzak!
If you have questions on using Phone.com’s professional hold music or uploading your own, please comment below or reach out to our Support team.