Patriotism via On-hold Messages?

Independence Day is just around the corner, a time when Americans eat hot dogs and apple pie, watch fireworks, and think about what it took for the United States to reach its 236^th year of independence. The Stars and Stripes fly freely from homes and places of business, and American pride surges.

This national birthday is also a great time to create a call to action for your business through on-hold marketing. Each holiday offers an opportunity to change up your campaign and target something new that will resonate with your customers, but there are often catches: what if the person on hold doesn’t celebrate Christmas, Easter, or other holiday? If your market is American citizens, however, you can always tap into that “hometown pride” without fear of offending anyone.

Perhaps you are running special promotions in conjunction with the Fourth of July. If your company sells pools / pool supplies, grills, or foods that might be eaten on this BBQ holiday, the tie-in is pretty obvious. But even those businesses with no direct connections can get in on the action by talking about their patriotism and wishing callers a heartfelt happy holiday.

In this election year, it can be too easy to forget that we are all in this together. Lines may be drawn in the sand as we draw nearer to Election Day, but on July 4^th, we have the opportunity to unite around a shared love: that of our country. By building on that loyalty, you may find that you create some additional support of your business.

If you have questions about changing your on-hold message to recognize Independence Day, please contact us. Our scriptwriters and voice talent are ready to help you share your patriotism and appreciation of your customers.

Do You Have a License for That?

When you’re pulled over for rolling through a stop sign (“I’m sorry, officer; was there a stop sign there?”), you’re asked to produce a driver’s license. It’s standard procedure and expected if you want to drive a car. If you don’t have a license, you can look forward to heavy fines. But did you know the same procedures hold true if you want to play music for your callers when they’re on hold?

As a cost-effective (i.e., free) on-hold option, companies may choose to route their phones through a system to play CDs, local radio stations, or satellite or Internet radio. Certainly, something is better than nothing, but if the companies doing this get caught, the fines can be hefty—into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases.

You may wonder why you need to pay licensing fees for sharing music with your customers. Essentially, everyone has to pay to replay that music; that’s one of the ways in which recording artists make their money. To be sure that you’re in compliance, the best option is to go through a company that is a member of the On-hold Messaging Association; they would be in compliance with all licensing agreements.

A company that provides on-hold messages also can do just music, and many companies also provide overhead music for your location (for which you also need licenses).

So no matter why or where you’re playing music for your customers, be sure that you are covering your bases and have your licenses. Otherwise, you could be needing an attorney and some deep pockets.