Having trouble with caller hang-ups? It can be a problem, and you might not be sure what you can do about it. Bedrock Markets has the answer. It’s called “Messaging On Hold” and will help solve your customer hang-up problem.
Did you know that 97% of callers hang up after being on hold for 10 minutes. We’ve all been there. Sitting there on the phone listening to nothing or worse, seriously cheesy music that sounds like its coming from a little kid’s music box. That’s not how to keep people on the line and interested in your product or service.
Call center woman talking to customer.
What Is “On Hold Messaging”?
The simple answer is the message(s) you hear when you are on hold with a business. It doesn’t matter what kind it is, it’s a message that tells you about what the business offers, any noteworthy deals that are available, hours of operation, etc.
They can be good, bad, and are usually ugly. A good message will keep people interested and staying on the line. The bad and the ugly don’t.
A survey done by AT&T found that most (over 70%) of business phone calls are placed on hold for an average of 45-60 seconds. It may not sound like much, but when you’re holding, it can seem a lot longer.
USA Today found that executives spend around 15 minutes a day or 68 hours a year on hold. That is a lot of time spent not generating revenue or taking care of important business decisions. CNN surveyed callers and found that 70% of the callers surveyed hang up within 60 seconds if they hear nothing on the line.
North American Telecom found that music will keep callers on the line 30 seconds longer than without music, and hearing commercials will keep people on the line for up to 3 minutes longer.
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, at Least When I’m on Hold
With apologies to the Rolling Stones, this is a fact of life. Most people are highly dissatisfied with their on-hold experience. According to a survey by PH Media Group, a London based audio branding specialist, most Americans feel that companies need to do much better when answering the phone. The survey for New Yorkers showed that only 42% were happy with the way businesses managed calls. This might not sound great, but it’s much better than the average 32% satisfaction rate nationwide.
Regional averages weren’t much better, with the West having an average 31% satisfaction rate, and the Northeast and South marginally better at 33%.
Women nationally were on average only 31% satisfied and men only slightly higher with an average of 34% satisfied.
When it came to age groups, older callers (45-64) were only satisfied 28% of the time and younger callers (18-34) were satisfied at a rate of 37%.
Mark Williamson, the sales and marketing director for PH Media Group says it comes down to poor call handling. He says: “Poor call handling is a common complaint for American consumers, but this research suggests that businesses are still not doing enough to improve standards and delight customers,” Williamson said. “There is perhaps a tendency among companies to focus their attention and budgets on visual marketing and internet presence, but the telephone remains a crucial aspect of branding, marketing and sales. Regardless of where callers live, they have sent a clear message to American businesses that overall call handling standards must improve.”
He further stated that companies have lost touch with older consumers, who are less likely to seek information online.
The surveys were done to assess public opinion on business call handling practices and standards in the US.
What Can Bedrock Markets Do for My Business?
We can do a lot for your business. We offer a complete “Messaging On Hold” program. Given that 97% of callers hang up after 10 minutes on hold, we can help you build customer loyalty, educate, and talk about your special offers with a custom tailored on hold message for your business.
The benefits of on hold messaging are: Generating interest for your lesser-known products and services; Initiate sales and encourage upsells; Promote seasonal offerings; Reinforce your branding; Share your company message and mission, and Drive traffic to your website. That last one is important because increased awareness of your website is a major way to generate interest in your company and build the public’s awareness of who you are and what your business offers.
Okay, how do you do it?
- We develop your What that means is that we will write an initial script, go over it with you and refine it until it is the exact message you want to share with your customers. Let us know who your customers are, and we will develop a message that will precisely target them and keep their attention.
- You choose the voice and music. You can choose either a male or female voice, along with the music you prefer. This will enable you to get your callers’ attention and keep their Since you know your customers the best, your input is vital to make sure your message reaches them, and they find it useful and informative.
- We produce your We go into the recording studio to record the voice tracks and then add in the music and edit it all together into a completed message.
- Once your message is completed and you are happy with it, we’ll send the finished audio file to you where it can be uploaded to your message Then your message can get to work helping you keep your callers’ interest, let them know more about your business, and help your business grow.
Ready to Get Started?
Are you ready to start your on-hold messaging campaign to keep your callers on the line, let them know what your latest offers are, what other products and services you offer and more? The experienced and friendly staff at Bedrock Markets is ready to help you do just that. Their marketing staff will work with you to custom tailor an on-hold message that will keep your callers’ attention and help your business grow. To get started, click here: Bedrock Markets New Client