The “Sound of Silence”.  Is that what your callers hear?  The Simon and Garfunkel tune?  Recorded silent prayers?  What is that sound of silence?  It is the sound that well nigh guarantees that you will dissuade a caller from staying on the line long enough to get a response to the reason s/he called.  You have a captive audience, someone who has called to learn more about what you do or even to purchase one or more of your products or services.  Why not inform, educate, enlighten, and influence the callers who are put on hold by providing information via on hold messaging from Express On Hold?

What is unique about your company or organization?  What is it about the personality, the character, the traits that set you apart, that are reasons that folks should buy from you?  Tell ‘em. Tell them in your on hold messaging.  Give examples.  Tell stories.  As you compose your messages picture your callers looking up and to the right (neuro-linguistic programming is the concept).  Looking up and to the right means that the caller is looking to the future, imagining the “what if?”, thinking about the benefits that will accrue.  It works!

What do you do better than anyone else?  Who knows that besides you?  Not too many, eh?  On hold messaging will help spread the word at a very small cost per impression.  And it is not a shotgun approach.  The only people who will be influenced one way or another by your on hold messaging are those people who have called.  Reinforce the reason they called by making the experience a pleasant one as well as an informative one.  If you are running an ad in the newspaper or Val-Pak, on radio, TV, and/or your web site, connect it to the messages callers hear when they are placed on hold.  That way each will reinforce the other.  And always, always, always direct people to your web site with "Be sure to visit our web site at . . ." in some of the on hold messages.

How probable might it be that you could influence buying decisions of someone who has contacted you by telephone?  Not at all, if while the caller is on hold he hears dead silence!  Very probable if while the caller is on hold she hears the radio playing an ad for your competitor.  Oops!  Quite unlikely if while the caller is on hold he hears only music.  To be sure that is far more preferable than dead silence, but . . . .   Highly likely if while the caller is on hold he hears on hold messaging about your products, services, specials, awards, even a testimonial.  Seems to me that it makes sense to take advantage of every touch point to inform and educate suspects, prospects, and customers.  What say you?