When a customer calls your business, you’ve already accomplished something important: you got them to pick up the phone and contact you.
The last thing you want is to lose that caller while they’re waiting for someone to answer.
Yet businesses put customers on hold every day. Sometimes it’s only for a few seconds. Other times, employees need several minutes to finish another call, locate information, or find the right person to help.
What happens during that wait can make a difference.
Customers may be more likely to hang up when they’re greeted by silence, repetitive music, or an experience that gives them no useful information or reassurance. Professional on-hold messaging gives businesses an opportunity to keep callers engaged by providing useful information, promoting services, and reinforcing the company’s brand while the caller waits.
Instead of treating hold time as dead time, businesses can turn it into another part of the customer experience.
Why Do Customers Hang Up While on Hold?
There isn’t one reason every caller hangs up.
Some callers are in a hurry. Others become frustrated. Some may simply wonder whether they’ve been disconnected.
Several factors can contribute to a poor on-hold experience:
- Long wait times
- Silence
- Repetitive music
- Poor audio quality
- No useful information
- No indication the call is still connected
- An experience that feels impersonal
Businesses can’t always eliminate hold time.
But they can control what callers experience while they’re waiting.
That’s where professional on-hold messaging becomes valuable.
Does Silence Make Hold Time Feel Longer?
It certainly can make the experience more uncomfortable.
Imagine calling a company and being placed on hold.
Then everything goes silent.
After a while, you may start wondering:
Am I still connected?
Did they forget about me?
Should I hang up and call again?
Even if the actual wait isn’t particularly long, uncertainty can make the experience frustrating.
An on-hold program reassures callers that they’re still connected while giving them something relevant to listen to.
Can On-Hold Messages Reduce Caller Hang-Ups?
A well-designed on-hold program can help keep callers engaged while they wait.
It can’t guarantee that every caller will stay on the line, and it can’t compensate for excessively long wait times.
But it can improve what the caller experiences during a normal hold period.
Instead of silence, callers can hear information about:
- Products
- Services
- Business hours
- Seasonal promotions
- Upcoming events
- Website resources
- Frequently asked questions
- Additional locations
- Helpful customer information
The goal is simple:
Give callers a reason to keep listening.
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What Should Businesses Say to Customers While They’re on Hold?
Good on-hold messages should be useful to the caller.
That doesn’t mean every message needs to be a sales pitch.
In fact, a good program usually combines several types of information.
For example:
Educational messages can explain services customers may not know you provide.
Promotional messages can highlight current offers, seasonal services, or new products.
Informational messages can provide business hours, website information, locations, or other helpful details.
Branding messages can reinforce what makes your company different.
The best content depends on the business and its customers.
Can You Market to Customers While They’re on Hold?
Yes. On-hold time can create a valuable marketing opportunity.
Think about who’s listening.
This isn’t someone randomly scrolling through social media.
It’s someone who has already taken the time to call your business.
That makes the caller an unusually relevant audience for information about additional products and services.
For example, an HVAC company could mention maintenance agreements.
A dental practice could remind patients about cosmetic services.
An automotive business could promote seasonal maintenance.
A hotel could mention meeting facilities or special packages.
A financial services company could introduce another service the caller may not realize is available.
You’re communicating with an audience that’s already engaged with your company.
Can On-Hold Messages Help With Cross-Selling?
They can create opportunities to introduce callers to other services.
Customers often know a business for only one thing.
Someone might call about Service A without realizing the company also offers Services B and C.
An on-hold message can briefly introduce those services without requiring an employee to remember to mention them during every conversation.
That can turn ordinary hold time into an opportunity to educate existing customers about more of what your business provides.
Should You Use Music or Messages While Customers Are on Hold?
For many businesses, a combination of professional voice messages and appropriate background music can provide a more engaging experience.
Music helps fill the silence.
Messages provide useful information.
The combination can create a more polished experience than silence or repetitive music alone.
The type of music and voice should also fit the company’s image.
A medical practice may want a different sound than an automotive dealership. A professional services company may want something different from a restaurant or entertainment business.
Your telephone audio should sound like your business.
Does the Voice Matter in an On-Hold Program?
Yes.
The voice your callers hear becomes part of your brand.
A professional voice can help your business sound established, organized, and prepared.
The delivery should also match the type of company.
Some businesses benefit from a warm and conversational style. Others may want something more energetic or authoritative.
The important thing is consistency.
The caller’s experience on the telephone should reflect the same professional image you’re trying to create through your website, advertising, employees, and other customer touchpoints.
Why Is Audio Quality Important?
Poor-quality audio can undermine even a well-written message.
Callers shouldn’t have to struggle to understand what’s being said.
Professional on-hold production considers:
- Voice quality
- Music selection
- Volume levels
- Pacing
- Message length
- Transitions between messages
- Overall sound
Your callers may form an impression of your company before they ever speak with an employee.
Telephone audio is part of that first impression.
How Long Should an On-Hold Message Be?
There’s no single perfect length for every business.
Instead of creating one long commercial, it’s often better to use a series of shorter messages.
This keeps the content moving and allows you to cover several topics.
A caller who is only on hold briefly might hear one message. Someone waiting longer may hear several.
The goal isn’t to overwhelm callers with information.
It’s to provide short, relevant messages that make the waiting experience more useful.
How Often Should You Update Your On-Hold Messages?
Your messages should be updated whenever the information your callers need changes.
That might include:
- Seasonal services
- Special promotions
- New products
- New locations
- Holiday hours
- Upcoming events
- Changes in business hours
- New website features
- New services
Even businesses without frequent promotions should review their on-hold content periodically.
Outdated information doesn’t just miss a marketing opportunity—it can create confusion.
Can On-Hold Messaging Improve the Customer Experience?
Yes, because customer experience begins before an employee answers the call.
Consider the entire telephone journey:
The customer calls.
They hear a greeting.
They’re transferred.
They’re placed on hold.
They eventually speak with an employee.
Every part of that experience contributes to how the customer views your company.
A professional on-hold program helps make the waiting portion feel intentional rather than forgotten.
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Can On-Hold Messaging Work With a Business Phone System?
Many business telephone systems support some form of music or messaging on hold, although the way audio is loaded and managed varies depending on the equipment and provider.
Businesses may use on-hold messaging with traditional phone systems, VoIP systems, and other business telephone configurations.
The first step is determining how your current system handles music or audio on hold.
What’s the Difference Between On-Hold Music and Professional On-Hold Messaging?
On-hold music fills the silence. Professional on-hold messaging uses that time to communicate with the caller.
Music alone may make the wait more pleasant, but it doesn’t tell callers anything about your business.
Professional messaging can:
- Educate callers
- Promote services
- Reinforce your brand
- Answer common questions
- Direct customers to online resources
- Highlight products or promotions
That’s why businesses should think of on-hold messaging as more than background audio.
It’s a communication tool.
Frequently Asked Questions About On-Hold Messaging
Why do callers hang up while they’re on hold?
Callers may hang up because they’re in a hurry, frustrated with the wait, unsure whether they’re still connected, or simply aren’t given a reason to remain engaged. A professional on-hold experience can help make normal wait periods more useful.
Can on-hold messages guarantee customers won’t hang up?
No. No on-hold program can guarantee that every caller will remain on the line. However, professional messaging can provide a more engaging experience than silence or generic audio.
What should I promote in an on-hold message?
Consider services customers may not know about, seasonal offerings, new products, special promotions, helpful website resources, or frequently requested information.
Should on-hold messages sound like advertisements?
Not necessarily. Some of the most effective messages are helpful and informative. A balanced program can combine useful information with promotional content.
Can small businesses use professional on-hold messages?
Absolutely. Professional telephone messaging isn’t limited to large corporations or call centers. Any business that regularly places customers on hold can benefit from thinking about what those callers hear.
How often should my business change its on-hold program?
Update messages whenever information becomes outdated and consider refreshing the program periodically to keep the content relevant for repeat callers.
Don’t Waste the Time Your Customers Spend on Hold
You may not be able to eliminate every hold.
But you don’t have to waste that time.
When customers are already on the phone with your business, you have their attention. Professional on-hold messaging gives you an opportunity to keep callers engaged, provide useful information, promote additional services, and reinforce your company’s brand while they wait.
That’s much more valuable than silence.
Turn Hold Time Into Marketing Time With Ad-Hold
Ad-Hold helps businesses transform ordinary hold time into a professional communication and marketing opportunity.
Our professionally produced on-hold programs combine custom-written messages, professional voice talent, and music to create an experience designed around your business and your callers.
Whether you want to promote additional services, educate customers, reinforce your brand, or simply improve what callers hear while waiting, Ad-Hold can develop a program that works with your business telephone system.
Don’t leave your customers listening to silence. Contact Ad-Hold today and turn the time your callers spend on hold into an opportunity to keep them engaged with your business.