Boring messages on hold are the worst.
We’ve all been stuck waiting on hold when we were in a hurry. We got the dreaded “The next available representative will be with you shortly. Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received.”
So we wait. And then it happens. We hear them.
Those dreaded Boring Messages on hold.
They’re annoying. They’re often “generic,” or so bland that almost anyone could use them. They never say anything interesting or helpful, so they actually seem to make the time you’re waiting “in the queue” or on hold longer. They’re doing just the opposite of what they’re supposed to do. And they drone on and on. Listening to them may be worse than waiting in dead silence (wondering if your call has been cut off)
How do we make them better?
Most messages on hold try to do one thing: sell you more…of anything. It doesn’t matter what. After that they give you cliché phrases like
- Your call is very important to us…
- Our highly trained representatives…
- We’ll be with you in just a moment…
Why not let your messages on hold help?
Well written messages can help both your caller, and your business. At their best they can
- Educate your callers about what makes you different
- Give your callers about more of the ways that you can help them
- Make you sound more helpful and more professional
So how do you do it?
ACTION 1: Start with a Strategy
Most on hold scripts are written “ad hoc” without any planning. Start by
- understanding who your callers are (customers, prospects, both?)
- understanding what they want (product information? service?)
- set goals
- come up with a plan for achieving your goals
ACTION 2: Write a great script
- stick with your plan
- make each message focus on one important idea
- keep your messages short and easy to remember
- don’t add lots of useless messages
- include a “call to action” or offer in some of them.
ACTION 3: Record, and later Review
- you want a high quality recording so you sound professional. Maybe you have your own “garage band” studio. If not, ask a pro for help.
- Try them out, and listen to the response. Do callers ask about what they’ve heard?
If you still want to try this new marketing tool, but need help, ask us. We’ll help. You can find out more about what we do by clicking here. You can click here to email us, or call us at (800) 862-8896.
