You’ve Got Your Telephone System?
We don’t provide the telephone hardware… BUT… If you are considering using our on hold messaging service you probably already have your hardware from one of our telephony hardware associates. However, if you have found us via a search engine and are looking for a hardware supplier, we can recommend a supplier local to you when providing you with an on-hold quote.
Simply select the ‘recommend a local telephone hardware supplier’ option when requesting a quote.
Want to Learn More About Telephone Hardware?
Although On Hold Messaging Direct does not provide on hold hardware, the following article should give you a good idea of the options available and what to consider when looking for a hardware supplier.
When setting up an office telephone system and on hold messages for your company there are basically two routes you can take. [click to read more…]
It is inevitable that at one time or another, you have no alternative but to put your client on hold; however, make this your opportunity to demonstrate to them how professional your company is. This may be the only opportunity you have to do business with them so you can’t afford to get their on hold experience wrong. It is worth investing a little bit of time to get this right.
The on hold messages and background music need to engage the caller, to defuse potential frustration. Make this an opportunity to educate and create a good impression of your company, products and services.
The On Hold Script
First and foremost, tell the caller where they are and thank them for calling. For example,
Thank you for calling [Company Name], please hold, an advisor will be with you shortly.
[click to read more…]
Image via Wikipedia
IVR is short for Interactive Voice Response, an automated system that uses a touch response telephone to direct your call. You will have one of these if you have multiple departments with lots of incoming calls.
60% of callers put on a silent on-hold hang up within 40 seconds and callers put on-hold with messages and music will stay about 3 minutes longer.
55% of communication is lost over the phone (body language), leaving us with 38% through tone of voice and just 7% through words.
As you can see from these statistics, giving the wrong message in the wrong tone could actually damage your sales and your reputation.
Many companies spend time and money on their visual branding (logo and leaflets) but neglect their telephone audio. Your sonic branding is as important as your visual branding.
This article looks at some of the common mistakes made with IVR and on hold marketing. It also outlines some good techniques to use. [click to read more…]
Music on hold and voice over needs to be mixed correctly, otherwise it can become needlessly irritating. It never ceases to amaze me that some large companies get this so wrong.
I have just been on hold for about 20 minutes and as a producer of on-hold audio packages I am very aware of the issues. My experience today with a very large mobile phone company highlights some dos and don’ts for companies considering a custom on-hold package.
Consistency
I have just listened to a variety of male and female IVR voice prompts all at different volume levels. I believe the voice-over should be the same person throughout the IVR prompts. The only exception to this is during the marketing messages in the on-hold section. [click to read more…]
