Terrible music on hold can make an already frustrating wait feel even longer.
Think about the last time you called a business and were placed on hold. Did you hear repetitive elevator music? A tinny recording? The same short music loop over and over?
Your callers may never tell you they hate your hold music. They may simply become more impatient—or decide they don’t want to keep waiting.
Terrible Music on Hold Can Hurt the Caller Experience
Your callers didn’t choose to listen to your hold music. They called because they need information, help or service.
If someone is already waiting, the last thing you want is to make the experience worse.
Common problems include music that is repetitive, irritating, too loud, poor quality or simply inappropriate for your business. Even pleasant music can become annoying when callers hear the same piece repeatedly.
The question isn’t just, “Is our music bad?”
It’s also, “Is this the best use of our callers’ time?”
Give Callers Something Better to Listen To
You can’t always avoid putting customers on hold. But you can decide what happens while they’re waiting.
Instead of:
Music… music… music…
you can provide useful information about your business.
A medical practice might remind callers about preventive services. An insurance agency could explain coverage options. A law firm could answer common questions or explain how it helps clients.
The goal isn’t to turn hold time into a nonstop commercial.
Good messages on hold should help educate, reassure or inform callers. They can introduce services callers may not know you provide, answer common questions and make waiting time feel more productive.
Music Should Support the Experience
You don’t necessarily need to eliminate music on hold.
The right music can help create a professional, pleasant atmosphere. But it should support the caller experience—not become the entire experience.
Music, voice and messaging should also fit your business. What works for a luxury hotel may not work for a law firm, medical practice or auto dealership.
Your telephone is part of your brand. What callers hear while waiting says something about your business, whether you intend it to or not.
Test Your Own Hold Experience
Try calling your business and putting yourself on hold for a few minutes.
Ask yourself:
- Would I want to keep listening?
- Does this sound professional?
- Does the music repeat too quickly?
- Is the audio quality good?
- Does this reflect our business well?
- Could we give callers something more useful?
You may discover that what you’ve been using for years is no longer creating the experience you want.
Make Hold Time More Valuable
Your callers are already giving you their time. Why waste it—or make it unpleasant with terrible music on hold?
Custom messages can combine appropriate music with useful information about your services, helping you make better use of the time callers spend waiting.
Want to improve your caller experience? The Informer creates custom, professionally produced messages on hold designed around your business and your callers. Call (800) 862-8896, text (203) 655-3920, or click here to email us and learn more.
