On Hold Messages
Light at the end of the tunnel
You’ve ended up on this page because you are looking for an on hold message system for your company. Before you start looking at products the first thing you must do is know what precisely you want your product to do. There are so many different applications for on hold messages today.
If you don’t identify what you need your system to do for you and your business you may end up buying a system that is either unable to perform the tasks you require or is far too complex and a waste of money for your business.
Now obviously the most basic function for an on hold message is to reassure the customer that you are actually going to answer their phone call. On hold messages are sort of a light at the end of the tunnel for people stuck waiting on hold for ages. If your business is liable to particularly long waiting times you may want to provide your clients with an on hold message that can predict how long they will need to wait before their call will be answered. Obviously this will cost a bit more, but your customers will appreciate that they are informed. If the wait is too long they can call back later. Alternatively many companies now offer the option of leaving a message and being phoned back. This is a good system for all concerned. Your business needn’t employ enough representatives to meet demand at the most peak times, and if their is some downtime the staff you employ can then phone customers back. This is easy on the customer and uses the time of your employees more economically.
In addition to managing your holding calls better, on hold messages can also entertain to make your clients’ wait more enjoyable. Consider whether on not you would like to put music on your on hold message. This will be an added expense but the time will pass much more quickly for those on hold. One thing you must remember is to pick your choice of music carefully. On the one hand you don’t want your music to be out of date but you also don’t want to offend anyone with your choice either. Remember your choice of music will reflect on your business. If you’re playing hip-hop, you want your client base to be into hip-hop. If you’re business caters to a very wide client base you will want to choose something rather mainstream that everyone will find pleasant to listen to. Classical music, or light jazz/easy listening genres are usually the most universal.
Once you have figured out just what information and content you want on your on hold message you are ready to start shopping. It goes without saying that you should compare all available products and don’t forget to factor in a product’s warranty and the company’s customer services as well as just looking at the products specs and price tag. Spending that little more for quality and dependability is worth it.