We know what you’re thinking; of course we’re going to sing the praises of on hold messages – it’s what we do (and quite well, we might add.) That said, there’s one thing that can’t be argued with:

Statistics!

According to a CNN survey, 60% of callers who are left listening to silence hang up within a minute. A third of those will refuse to call back. That’s a huge number of confused, annoyed, and neglected callers – and you haven’t even had a chance to speak with them!

In this wonderful country, callers spend an average of 44 seconds on hold at any one time. That 44 seconds could be a highlight reel, a smart, engaging message, delivered by captivating voice artists explaining what your brand does best. Or, it could be confusing, annoying, and neglectful silence.

You have a few other options, sure. You can play radio, which is fine – until your callers hear a really great ad from your biggest competitor, and ask themselves why they’re calling you at all.

“What about chimes?” you ask. Okay…but let’s be honest, have you ever heard chimes that don’t make you want to plug your ears with wet cement?

There’s always the DIY route, and it’s possible that one of your colleagues has a beautiful, honeyed voice, a clear and capable read style, and a reference script penned by creative advertising professionals (if you do, pass us their details.) We’re willing to bet, however, that the chances of this are pretty slim.

88% of callers prefer hearing an on hold message.

Maybe we should have opened with that juicy bit of information…but we wanted to really shine the light on the alternatives.  And let the stats speak for themselves.

On hold messages are a tried-and-tested, cost-effective marketing method, adding that special shine and polish to your business.

Let’s clear that dead air, and chat about your on hold options.