5 Big Marketing Mistakes to Avoid In Your On Hold Messages
When customers and clients visit your business, you’re able to witness day in and day out what the customer experience is like because it’s happening right before your very eyes. But, what abut the caller on hold experience? See, one of the biggest problems with the caller on hold experience is that “you” usually do not call your place of business, and are put on hold to be in the caller’s shoes and see (or hear) first hand exactly what the caller on hold experience is like for customers.
Additionally, unlike with the in-store customer experience where you can witness it first hand , over the phone you aren’t able to see customers on the other end of the line to witness their experience, and as a result the caller experience is often an overlooked part of your business. Even if you’ve taken steps to improve the caller on hold experience by implement on hold messages, once again you aren’t calling to hear your messages for yourself and aren’t always aware of what happens at this touchpoint.
Below we’ve included 5 big marketing mistakes when it comes to the “caller on hold experience”.
Mistake #1: You Don’t Have On Hold Messages
The bottom line is hold time happens. It’s simply something that is unavoidable. How so? As just one example, a study by AT&T found that sixty percent of callers hang up when left on hold in silence.
So, the worst mistake you can make is not having on hold messages, and ignoring callers with dead-silence. This is both unprofessional, and bad for business. Having on-hold messaging keeps customers on the line, and it keeps them on the line longer than silence or music. Callers will stay on hold up to three minutes longer when there is on-hold messaging. So you can see why it is a big mistake to leave callers on-hold in silence. Doing this actually pushes away current and potential customers and clients.
Mistake #2: Playing Out-of-Date Message Content
While using on hold messaging is crucial, just having an on-hold message isn’t enough. Often times once a business implements an on hold solution, they take a set it and forget it approach which can be a fatal marketing mistake.
Your messages should be relevant, timely, and accurate. Sharing out-of-date messaging (such as expired promos, incorrect hours, past seasonal messages, etc.) makes your business look unprofessional, careless, and untrustworthy. You don’t want to give that impression during a customer’s call, as that may be the first time a potential customer experiences your business.
You must update your on hold message content because out-of-date messages may lead customers to decide that your business isn’t right for them before they even talk to a staff member or experience your store or office in person.
Mistake #3: You’re Using the Wrong Strategy
Even if you have on hold messages, we’ve seen many instances where businesses still miss the mark by not having the right marketing strategy.
When properly executed, you can increase revenue using on-hold messages. Having the right on hold script-copy, your messages can help to:
- Promote products and services
- Upsell products and services
- Highlight referral and loyalty programs
- Refer callers to other marketing channels, like your website or social media accounts
- Announce upcoming events or tradeshows
- Motivate callers to take action
All of these strategies help make your on-hold messages become a valuable sales and marketing tool for added profits.
Mistake #4: Your On Hold Messages Lack a Call-to-Action
Having on hold messaging that is sharing up-to-date promotions with callers means you’re on the right path. But, you may still be missing a big piece of the marketing puzzle – calls-to-action.
Messages with calls-to-action give specific directions that tell the audience what they need to do next to receive the benefit of the message. It’s the difference between having messages or have truly effective messages that result in added revenues. Make sure your phone on-hold messages don’t just share information, but tell your audience what they can do with that information. This guides callers to become paying customers and loyal clients.
Mistake #5: Your On Hold Message Doesn’t Match Your Brand
On-hold messages that avoid the first four mistakes are very good on hold messages indeed, but there is one more element that can make a good message a great message, and that is brand strategy.
Sure, in order to have the best on hold message possible for your business, you need the right content and the right delivery, as well as the right voice and tone that matches your brand.
You need a messages strategy that matches your brand, and that will:
- Reinforce consistent branding
- Improve brand recognition
- Develop brand loyalty
- Help you stand out from competitors
- Allow your business to differentiate itself
Final Thoughts…
There are many other ways to improve and upgrade your phone custom on hold messages to make sure you position your business, shop, or office to get the most out of every caller — while creating the best possible experience for customers and clients. When you incorporate all of the elements mentioned above, you create a fully functional on-hold message strategy that serves both your business and your customers.
Want to find out more? Contact Original On Hold, and we would be happy to uncover what other mistakes you could be making, and what other opportunities you could be missing out on in your on hold messages.
