Learn the dangers of stale on hold messaging and what you should do instead.
What does the number 31,200 mean to your veterinary practice?
Surprisingly, it’s the number of times a standard on hold message is played in a year* if you aren’t updating your messaging.
Pet owners call you for different things at different times, some every few weeks or months, some just once a year. Regardless of how often you hear from your clients, forcing them to listen to the same blend of music and messaging each time isn’t doing your practice any favors.
Why Vets Should Update Their On Hold Messaging Frequently
On hold messaging can and should be a key part of your branding strategy. It projects a specific image of your company. If you want your on hold messages to remain effective, keeping them fresh is simply good business.
Think about it: even big companies like McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, and Coca-Cola change their logos and taglines every few years. They evolve their branding to match changes in audience taste and design trends. It also gives them a chance to capitalize on organic buzz and positive PR to get their name in the spotlight.
Of course, you’re not operating on the same scale as a major international brand, but the premise remains the same: you change your marketing to remain relevant to your callers.
Switch up your music or swap out your messages to ensure repeat callers have something new to learn about your practice. It shows you’re interested in continuing to provide value in every call. It also gives you a chance to market new services, provide seasonal information, build awareness, or make important announcements.
Even messages that are effective today might not deliver the same results a year from now. That’s because people get used to hearing the same thing on repeat, and eventually they start to tune it out. By adding a new message to the queue or opting for new music, you disrupt their expectations and earn their attention.
How Often Should Vet Practices Update Their On Hold Messaging?
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” answer for how often you should change your on-hold messaging. To add a little perspective, at clearonhold.com most of our smaller clinics plan to change their music or messaging once per quarter, while the medium and larger practices find it is necessary to change more often.
The goal is to try to have something playing often enough that it can be remembered, but not so often that people no longer notice it at all. And even if you don’t think you have anything new to say, trading in your generic jazz music for a smooth acoustic track can help your messaging stand out.
The good news is, clearonhold.com has made it very quick and easy to make changes. To save even more time, we have created a way to plan your message changes many months in advance . . . Using our “Go Live” dates, you could plan the entire year at one sitting . . . and we take care of the rest, allowing you to keep your messaging fresh with minimal effort.
Remember, hold time provides you with something most marketers spend a fortune chasing: a captive audience. Use it to educate, talk about your practice, or build your brand as a reputable practice.
Request a free on hold demo to see how you can give your veterinary practice’s on hold messaging a refresh.
*Messages can vary in length, but generally a four-minute set played eight hours per day, five days per week for 52 weeks each year means that each of your on hold messages gets roughly 31,200 plays annually.