These days you seldom call a business that doesn’t have a Message on Hold Recording. From Medical Specialists to Connecticut Junk Yards, they’ve all realized that
- they put their callers on “hold” and
- they can put that time to use.
Messages playing on hold give you an opportunity to deliver your message to your potential customer instead of boring them with music on hold, or waiting in dead silence.
Do you need messages playing on hold?
Do you need a Message on hold recording?
Maybe you don’t. But maybe you do.
Here are a few simple questions to ask yourself:
- Do you work in Connecticut from a mobile phone, or do you have a phone on your desk? Mobile phones are tricky to use hold messages on hold, since they don’t have a “hold button.” Callers do actually spend time listening to Ring Back Tones, which is just like waiting on hold. So there are opportunities to give your callers helpful information.
- Do you have a one-line phone. Again, there’s no “hold” button. So you don’t have any good options, even if you use “call waiting.” As of today, you just can’t do it.
- Do you have more than one phone line? Do you have a “multi-line” phone? It could be a 3 line phone from a “Big Box” retailer. It could be a traditional PBX phone. Or it could be a “cloud based” VoIP phone. All of these phones have hold buttons, and research shows that businesses that can put callers on hold, do. Businesses like yours. Every day. And it happens more and more.
So maybe you can put your telephone callers on hold. But do you need a message?
4. Who calls you? What are they calling about? Is there information that you’d like them to have about how you can help them, that would help you reach more of your (sales and marketing) goals?
5. Do you ever offer new products or services? Would the people who call you be potential customers for them?
6. Are you trying to increase sales through “cross marketing” (giving the customers information about your “other” products”) or “upselling” (giving the customer good reasons to purchase more). Are your telephone callers potential customers? Or would you just like to sound more professional?
7. Everyone is busy. Some of us still can’t find enough qualified workers, and so callers are often asked to “please hold.” (Either by the person who answers your phone, or by the automated attendant feature in your phone system).
Did you answer “yes”?
If you answered yes to any of questions 3 to 7, you may benefit a message on hold. At this point its time to think about your callers, your marketing plans, and your goals.
Brainstorming
You have lots of marketing opportunities. What are your most successful marketing tools…the ones that get you the results you want? To be successful, your marketing has to deliver
- The right message to
- The right people, at
- The right time
Which of your other marketing tools do that? Which are best at it? Which deliver your message to someone who has demonstrated an interest in how you can help them, and seems to be more interested in you, and not your competition?
It may just be that a message on hold is a marketing tool that could work for you.
Discovery Session
Interested in evaluating your potential for hold messages to help you achieve more of your goals? Why not call to schedule a Discovery Session with one of our marketing professionals? We’ve worked with others in your industry, and can share their experience and results with you. To set up your 1:1 session, in Connecticut call (203) 655-3920. In New York call (212) 355-6680. And Nationwide, call toll free (800) 862-8896. Or click here to email us.
