Avoid These Common On Hold Message Content Mistakes

On hold messages are effective because not only do they bring us closer to our callers; they also help in making sales.

The rule for any on hold message is simple, and that is to keep your caller’s on hold time worthwhile by providing them engaging, relevant, and informative messages.

However, not everyone follows “best practices: when is comes to create powerful on hold audio content. In fact, many businesses make these fatal on hold marketing mistakes below in which you should avoid at all costs.

Mistake #1: You Don’t Have On Hold Messaging

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 and causes increased caller abandonment rates. 

Mistake #2: Playing Outdated Content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 Sharing out-of-date messaging (such as expired promos, incorrect hours, past seasonal messages, etc.)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You must update your on hold message content because out-of-date messages may lead customers to decide that your business isn’t right for them before they even talk to a staff member or experience your store or office in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 content, 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.

Final Thoughts…

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.

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.

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.