We understand why it’s tempting to leave your onhold messages static, especially once you land on a voice and script that works well for you and your clients. Days fill up with other tasks very quickly, and so things that are functioning neatly and don’t need constant attention can fade to the back of your mind. Why mess with something that is in place, working fine, and doesn’t necessarily scream for ongoing attention? The fact of the matter is, there is great potential in onhold messages, potential that is left wasted if you don’t regularly update.
Potential in Onhold Messages: Info Updates
Your business isn’t standing still, so why should your messages? From a purely pragmatic viewpoint, you should keep an eye on your onhold messages because there may come a point where the customer-facing information doesn’t actually match your company’s current status. Employees come and go, hours of operation shift, new branches and locations open, old products are discontinued while new products arrive.
We’ve had customers contact us after years of using a static message, to the point that even they have forgotten what they’ve previously recorded. When we crack open their existing script, they are horrified to realize that their message has been directing callers to customer service representatives who no longer work there, or are advertising products and deals that haven’t been offered for months, or even years.
So before we even begin to consider the matter of onhold messages being deployed more strategically, there’s the simple, practical concern of just making sure that the message you present to your clients and partners actually aligns with your company.
Competitive Concerns
Even if you are happy with your messages, you should keep in mind that your competitors are never standing still. Onhold message work as a cost-effective medium to announce products and product features, including those that are designed to counter competitive moves. If your competitor comes up with a feature that gives them an advantage, and you have a response, an update to your onhold messages is a fast, inexpensive way to get word out.
When you’re putting together your marketing budget, think about new product introductions, promotions, customer information requirements, and competitive activity when considering how often you plan to refresh your messages. If you only refresh once a year, if not even less, than you’re leaving a major resource untapped.
Holidays
There is one very simple reason to keep actively changing up your messages: Holidays. Holidays impact hours of operation; they trigger vacations that affect staffing; they incentivize new deals and major sales events.
Even setting that aside, holidays have a major impact on the mood of your callers. Holiday seasons, especially around the end of the year and Christmas, drive large spikes in phone usage. This makes them the perfect time to cross-promote different products and services.
Something as simple as changing your background music to a holiday theme can do wonders. Besides contributing to the general merry mood, playing holiday music is an audio cue that something is different, which will keep your customers paying attention and engaging longer. In our line of work we have found that Christmas music puts people in a happier mood, and happier people are known to spend more!
Stay Fresh
Whether you are making changes to the message itself, or just playing around with different music choices or a different voiceover talent, there is always potential in onhold messages to provide your customers and partners with a fresh experience. And keeping the experience fresh is an invaluable way of making sure customers and partners remain engaged and attentive.
Contact us today to learn more about setting up your own Messages-On-Hold. And if you’ve already created a message, maybe spend time playing around with our available music and voice talents, and you might just hit upon a new message for a new day.