Did you know that 60% of callers will hang up after they’ve been on hold for 1 minute? While you can’t always avoid putting callers on hold, there are ways to make their hold experience more pleasant.
On-hold greetings are often the introduction to your company, so you need to make sure that you introduce yourself to customers the right way.
How can you put together an on-hold greeting that will make a good impression? And how will your on-hold music, or an on-hold message, help to keep your customer on the line? Here’s our guide on how to make sure your on-hold greetings make the right impression every time.
What On-Hold Greetings Will You Need?
When you’re starting out with on-hold greetings, you’ll need to decide which greetings to record. Depending on the size of your business, you may need just one of each greeting or several greetings for different departments. Whatever your business size, you’ll likely need the following greeting types:
Opening Greeting
This is the message that plays as soon as your phone system picks up a call. The opening greeting will include some sort of welcome message, along with your business name and a next step. For example:
Thank you for calling Dog Groomers R Us. To best answer your call, please choose from one of the following options.
Your caller will feel welcomed and will also know what to do to have their query addressed.
On-Hold Messaging
An on-hold message will let callers know that there is a queue and that they’ll need to hold to speak to an advisor. For example:
All of our agents are dealing with other calls. Please hold, and we will answer your call as soon as possible.
Voicemail Greeting
A voicemail greeting is used for out-of-hours calls. If a customer calls outside of business hours, a voicemail greeting will let them know of alternative ways to answer their query.
It will also let them know when they can call back and can welcome them to leave a message if you have that service enabled. For example:
Thank you for calling Popsicle Vacations. We are now closed. Please visit our website, www.popsiclevacations.com, and use our live chat feature. Alternatively, you can call us back between 9 AM and 5 PM Monday through Friday.
How to Ensure a Successful Greeting
Now you know which greetings you need, how do you record a greeting that’ll keep callers on the line? One way is by recording custom on-hold messages with the following:
Use a Pleasant Tone
First off, you don’t want callers to feel like an inconvenience. Don’t ever record a message that sounds frustrated, stern, or tired.
Instead, you want to use a pleasant, upbeat tone that sounds warm and welcoming, as well as eager to help with their inquiry.
Do Apologize
Your customers are paying you good money, so they should be able to speak to you whenever they need to. Of course, sometimes calls can stack up, so there’s a delay in responding to everyone. Callers understand that, but they appreciate an apology.
Saying sorry for making them wait is good manners, and it’ll help customers to feel that you’re aware of their inconvenience.
Don’t Overwhelm Them With Information
One alternative to on-hold music is to give your customers information on other products or services you offer. Or, you may want to let them know other ways to get in touch. Whatever the information you offer, don’t overwhelm your callers by giving them too much information all at once.
Doing so will probably give them a headache and either make them want to hang up or will get them more worked up before speaking to an agent. Instead, break any information down into manageable chunks, and disperse it throughout the message. This will give them a chance to digest the first lot of info before moving on to the next.
Make Your Hold Music Count
While on-hold music can be frustrating as it means a caller isn’t speaking to an operator, it’s still a vital part of your call answering system. And you can’t just put any old music on and expect to keep customers happy. Here are a couple of things to think about when choosing your on-hold music.
Silence Is Deadly
What’s worse than annoying on-hold music? No hold music at all. When callers hear silence at the end of the line, they’ll think that they’ve been cut off and are more likely to hang up.
So, be sure to choose some hold music to include on the line while your callers wait to be attended to. It will boost your call retention and may even help them feel better in the process.
Choose Music To Suit Your Audience
If you have a very specific target market, then you may want to choose hold music that will appeal to them. For example, if most of your customers are millennials, then songs they knew all the lyrics to a few years ago might get their feet tapping.
If you have a wide audience, though, opt for music that is soothing and inoffensive. Classical music is often a popular choice because it’s loved by many and doesn’t get on your nerves.
On-Hold Greetings: The Takeaway
A custom on-hold for business greeting is a way to introduce your company to your customers and is the first step in solving their query. Decide which messages you need to record, and then record your on-hold greetings in a style that will keep callers on the line.
Apologize for any inconvenience, and use a pleasant, upbeat tone to help them feel listened to. If you record your greeting the right way, you’ll boost customer retention and provide great customer service along the way.
Are you ready to customize your on-hold greetings but don’t know what to say? Then contact us and order a custom on-hold message today.
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