Sometimes, Too Much Is Too Much

You’ve heard the saying “the devil is in the details.” Most of the time, this is completely true. Take directions, for example: If you say, “Drive five minutes and then turn right,” the person who drives fast will take the wrong turn. But you can also get bogged down in the details, and that’s where you’ll lose your audience. This is most certainly true in on-hold messages.

When your customers are on hold, you have a matter of moments to market to them while they are waiting for an associate to come back on the line or their call to be transferred. Typically, they’re thinking of what they’re going to say when that person answers the line and aren’t as tuned in to the marketing messages as you might like. This is the time to capture their attention simply and directly but not to burden them with too many details.

For instance, choose just one call to action in your message. There’s no need to offer three options for people to get in touch with you. In fact, just one would be fine: “Ask your associate when he/she returns to the line.” Assume that your customers aren’t listening with pens poised to jot down an email address, website, or different number to call.

If you follow “KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid,” you will be just fine. If you have questions on how to simply share your marketing messages with your customers through on-hold messaging, contact us. Our scriptwriters will create compelling content that says exactly what you want to say and what your customers want to hear—and at the end of the day, that’s music to everyone’s ears.

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

R.E.M. famously immortalized Dan Rather’s unfortunate interaction with two assailants in their 1994 song, “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” While no one is quite sure what those two people meant when they were attacking Rather, the question is a viable one for on-hold messages. The frequency with which you’re repeating your commercials can make a big impact on listeners, especially if your hold times tend to be longer.

Creating the right number of on-hold messages that rotate at the right frequency takes an art. And it should be based on how long your customers are typically on hold. For instance, if they’re on hold 1–3 minutes, one cycle works; for 5–10 minutes, they’ll probably hear things two or three times.

There are, of course, pluses and minuses to having your information repeat during the call.

As a plus, it’s been clinically proven that people need to hear things a number of times before they stick. If they only hear a special promotion once while on hold, they may not remember it. By the third time, it will have more permanency.

On the flipside, a negative could be hearing the same message a number of times if it’s not compelling, and then you’re just going to annoy those same people to whom you’ve been trying to market. And if you’re only playing music, you want to be sure listeners aren’t hearing the same tune over and over.

While we’re on the subject, make sure that the messages you’re sharing follow a good pace. Typically, commercials are about 30 seconds, and they should only share one salient point per message. You can’t expect to get everything into half a minute unless you’re speaking too quickly for anyone to understand—and then the point will be missed anyway.

When you work with America On Hold, we take care of everything so you’ll never have to worry about the answer to the question, “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” You’ll just know it’s right.

School’s in Session! Are Your Messages Keeping Up?

Across the country, children are gearing up for their next year in school. Their backpacks are new and packed full of the supplies they’ll need to learn more information in this new grade. The smell of freshly sharpened pencils fills the air, and the excitement is palpable. This is a great time to change your on-hold message to speak to students and their parents as they start the upcoming school year.

If your target market includes students, the tie-in with back to school is pretty easy. But you can still reach out to potential and existing customers with a unique message that fits with the energy this time of year. For instance, stay-at-home parents have a lot of time on their hands and an empty house once the children return to school. Now is a great time to suggest home upgrades including landscaping, pools, construction, furniture, and flooring. Parents may be wondering what to do with no little ones under foot, so tailor your messages to them and watch your revenue increase.

Another way to reach students and parents this time of year is through educational tidbits. Even the simple reminder that school is back in session and that your customers should keep an eye out for buses and kids can be well received. Essentially, it doesn’t matter what you’re selling or offering, you can always be timely in your messages with some gentle tweaks.

In your on-hold messages, be sure to change your approach to talk about back to school from mid-August to the beginning of September. That way, you can catch both K–12 and college students.

Questions about how to reach the back-to-school crowd through your on-hold messages? Our team of talented scriptwriters works with you to create something that speaks to your unique selling proposition and helps to add dollars to your bottom line. Contact us to learn more.