These five misconceptions about on hold marketing could be holding you back.
On hold marketing has been around for decades, but there’s still plenty of mystery and misconception surrounding this practice.
The truth is, on hold marketing has been proven to be a viable way for businesses to enhance customer service, boost professionalism, and drive revenue. Thousands of business use on hold marketing to prevent hangups and share valuable information with their callers while they wait.
Ideas like these five common misconceptions could be holding you back from using on hold marketing in your business:
Myth #1 - I Don’t Place Callers On Hold
Here’s the truth: hold happens to everyone. You might not place callers on hold often, but there are times when it’s unavoidable. An AT&T study shows that 70% of all business callers are placed on hold, and chances are some of your callers are part of this statistic.
When you use on hold messages, hold time isn’t as bad for business as many people believe. Whether you’re transferring a call or checking to see if someone is available, every time you place someone on hold can be a chance to strengthen your brand, sound professional, and remind callers they’re still on the line.
Myth #2 - People Don’t Want to Hear Messages On Hold
Numerous studies have indicated that people would rather listen to on hold messages than silence or those awful beeps - or worse, the same “out of the box” music everyone else has in their new VOIP system!
Silence is terrible for customer service. It’s like putting a customer in a dark room while they wait. They have no clue if they’re been forgotten about or hung up on. Beeps aren’t a viable alternative, even though it tells the caller they’re still on the line. Those short intervals between beeps can make hold time seem even longer.
Callers are 90% more likely to wait on the line longer when listening to messages because they make the wait time seem shorter, they’re entertained, and they know they haven’t been hung up on.
Myth #3 - Only Big Companies Can Afford On Hold Marketing
Some on hold companies charge astronomical rates, so it’s easy to see why this myth is so common. The truth is that on hold marketing doesn’t have to be expensive.
We’ve tailored our services to match almost any budget so even small mom-and-pop businesses can put the power of custom on hold messaging to work for them. Just a few dollars a day gives you consistent marketing that connects with your customers when your reps aren’t able to.
Myth #4 - The Radio Works Just as Well
Stop. Right. There.
If you’re playing the radio on hold, you could be facing fines and legal issues. Licensing for copyrighted music can cost upwards of thousands of dollars per song. Yes it’s free for consumers to listen to, but it’s not intended for commercial purposes.
Also, you have no control over the radio’s programming. The news might come on. It could be political. It could be about a local murder spree. Even worse, what if it’s an ad your competitor bought on that station?
Much better to create your OWN radio station with clearonhold.com!
Myth #5 - I Don’t Have Time for On Hold Messaging
We’ll agree that on hold marketing can be a time-consuming process if you try and do it yourself - we’ve spent years designing our system to save your hours of work and frustration by offering free scriptwriting services and the ability to schedule productions ahead of time.
Check out our upcoming blog post on how to plan an entire year’s worth of on hold content in a fraction of the time!
What to Do Next
Don’t let fear or misunderstandings stand between you and a service that could help you grow your business. Feel free to reach out with any questions, or click here to schedule a free demo to hear what on hold marketing could sound like for your company.