08/ 09/ 2006
by Misti Wolanski
In your business, you will sometimes have to keep callers waiting while you figure out answers to their questions or find the right person to answer their questions. You could just leave the phone off the hook, perhaps, but callers' eavesdropping is only desirable to a point.
There are several ways that you can entertain callers when you put them on hold. Here are five options to consider.
Staying silent
You could put nothing on the hold line, leaving callers to hear only silence. With no recording, you do not need to worry about the overlap of repetitive recordings. Unfortunately, the person put on hold has absolutely no way of knowing if you are coming back to the phone, or if you have ditched him or her. Lengthy waiting periods will probably result in the caller hanging up––and probably being disgruntled as well.
Wait for the beep
A variation on the silence theme, this option adds a beep every few seconds so the caller knows he or she is on hold and has not been disconnected. Because the simple beep is easy to keep in a cycle, callers do not realize when they have reached the restart time of the recording. This grows annoying fast, though, and may result in a number of customer hang ups–– though fewer than would occur with silence.
Sounds of music
One of the more common methods for entertaining callers put on hold is music. The music is supposed to be soothing, but the problem is, there are different definitions of "soothing" for different types people. Some people may find Celtic or classical music soothing; others may find it depressing or even outright hate it. Some callers may even find it difficult to concentrate as the music soothes them to sleep. Music with some form of beat may be preferred by some and loathed by others. With carefully chosen musical selections, the caller can have a hard time noticing when the recording repeats itself.
Chat them up
Do you like it when someone starts talking halfway into a sentence or cuts out partway? If you decide to use the time in which you put callers on hold to educate them about your products, times of business or other information, you must consider that this will happen to some, if not, most callers. The few callers interested in what is being said will probably also be frustrated, since they will most likely find themselves interrupted while absorbing the information. It is also virtually impossible to hide the restart of a recording when you go this route.
Finding the best mix
Some businesses make a lengthy music recording and, after each cycle, thank callers for waiting and reassure them that someone will be attending them shortly. The "thank you" betrays the music's restart––even if the music itself does not––but some people may find this method more polite. Speech and beeps can also be mingled, though any repeat of the recording is noticeable to the caller.
Where would you be without your customers and clients? Whatever route you choose to go when putting customers on hold, keep customers and clients in mind. Work with your telephone service provider or telephone software specialist to find the best on-hold method for your business and your bottom line.
