Quite a bit of research has been done on music played while customers are on hold. Handling on-hold time well can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction, so it’s worth spending some time considering your options.
When a customer is greeted by silence instead of appropriate messaging, it has a negative impact on customer service according to Scott Broetzman, President of Customer Care and Consulting. Customers were most positive when they listened to on hold greetings with estimates of how long they’d be waiting. Emily Yellin, the author of “Your Call is Not that Important to Us,” added that treating customers well and keeping hold times shorter than a minute are the real keys to increasing satisfaction. (For more info on this topic, consider listening to NPR’s MarketPlace segment “What Makes You Happy When Your Call Is Put on Hold?”)
While it is ideal to answer the phone quickly, it might not always be possible. Having a system in place, such as an auto attendant, for handling the extra call volume is important. If you’re unable to have a person answer the phone every single time, remember your company’s first impression is made through your greetings and on hold messages or music.
On hold music can support your customer service efforts by:
- Projecting a polished image for your company.
- Keeping the attention of your audience.
- Making hold time seem shorter and less tedious.
Matching your marketing campaigns with your on hold music selection can project a unified company. In addition, if your customers get routed to the hold queue, appropriate music selection decreases frustration, thereby reducing the number of dropped calls. If you can keep your customers on the line, you are more likely to resolve their issue, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.
Don’t forget, there’s much more to the selection of on hold music for your business than simply uploading a song from your iTunes account (potentially illegal, by the way). Taking the time to seek the right music selection to match your company’s image will be worth the effort as your customers will likely form a more favorable impression of your organization.
What type of on hold music best suits your company? What’s your favorite source for on hold music for your organization?
For more on this topic, check out our Ultimate Guide to Auto Attendants.