If you live in Virginia, you’re part of an interesting heritage.  I’m not sure the founder knew it at the time, but when Lloyd Shockley founded On Hold Marketing in 1989,he was one of the very first On Hold companies anywhere.  Ask anybody. In 1989 very few telephone systems even had a way to connect an external audio source, and those that did were playing a radio to callers on hold. (a violation of copyright law)  So Lloyd had surely hit upon a need, a need that fell squarely in the lap of his talents as an ad agency entrepreneur.  (The Shockley Agency had been operating in Richmond since 1982.)

The first true association of On Hold companies, the On Hold Messaging Association, (OHMA) wasn’t even created until the year 2000.  By then, On Hold Marketing was a fully established company serving businesses and practices in over 20 states, Canada,and the U.K.   Lloyd Shockley was recognized as one of the foremost pioneers of our industry and was asked to serve on the OHMA board.

On Hold Marketing has been providing audio studio services, professional copy writing, and telephone equipment support for over 20 years now, but one doesn’t survive this long without going thru some transitions.  Keeping up with the changes in telephone systems is enough to run some on hold companies completely out of business.  The introduction of computer/internet based telephone systems is a perfect example of a new technology introduction that can obsolete a business model to the extent that it simply cannot serve the market. Changes in the audio production process have gone from analog mechanisms and enough outboard processors to fill a building…to a computer running special software, replacing tons of gear. Did I mention doing business over the internet?  This change has not only impacted how sound files are moved around, but also how customers can hear voice talent, music, and productions to make better informed decisions and become comfortable form relationships with us, even though we’re thousands of miles away.

Virginia, even though one of the oldest states, is also among the innovators of what we take for granted…music and messages onhold….which, by the way, is responsible for helping just about every business and practice every day.

Months ago we added a “Live Chat” feature to our web pages to give web site visitors a direct connection to us…and the experience has been surprising.  Yes, we get inquiries from people searching for a better On Hold Marketing provider, but I believe we get more live-chat inquires from customers of OTHER companies that want to complain about the service they’re getting.

We think we know why we receive complaints about other providers.  Customers often think we’re their provider because there are so many on hold companies that have a company name similar to ours…..so, when someone Googles “On Hold Marketing”, they see our listing first (since we have earned the #1 position with the major search engines).

Now don’t me wrong, I’m not complaining.  When the offended customer realizes that we’re not the company that offended them, they often become customers…and the world becomes a better place.

The question is “Why are our competitors receiving so many complaints about lack of service, incomplete productions, not returning phone calls, productions are not being updated, and simply not being visible enough to be found?”  Naturally, we can’t answer this because we’re not them, but we do see that it’s an increasing trend. 

Ok, we do make it easy to find us…which has contributed to us hearing complaints about our competitors.   I guess that’s the point.  We do complete productions on time, do return phone calls, do work hard to get customers to update their audio On Hold programs…and when you need to find us…we’re easy to find.  You’ll find all our contact info on our On Hold player and invoices, or just google “On Hold Marketing”…we’ll be #1.

One might say that every customer has a fear that sometime during their telephone inquiry they won’t be taken care of in a way that meets their expectations. It’s simply a sign of where our customer service experiences have taken us.   Calling customers fear a number of unpleasant outcomes:

- they'll never get to speak with a human being

- they won’t be treated respectfully

- a language barrier will make communication difficult

- the product or service they want won’t be available, or affordable, or payment terms won’t be bearable

- they’ll have to navigate an unfriendly auto attendant

- they’ll be left on hold indefinitely, or simply disconnected 

Unfortunately, these events are common place and repeatedly support our fear of a less-than-stellar calling experience. However, patients calling their Dentist or Doctor have a real and legitimate fear that their visit will include a something even more fearful than poor customer service…and that is…real pain.  It is likely that their upcoming visit will include some pain, the kind that makes you say “ouch” or, may even require sedation or pain reducing medication.  Even if no serious pain is anticipated, the mere call for the appointment can include some built-in anxiety. 

The patient's pre-existing anxiety is precisely why a customized On Hold program for a medical practice must be different.  Compared to programs created for businesses, the message they hear must be more caring, more soothing, more comforting, & more assuring.  This is what makes “Patients On Hold” programs unique.  The script is crafted in such a way that information is presented in the spirit of sharing…not shoving.  Your voice talent is directed to deliver the informational messages in an especially low-key, assuring & caring tone.  Music selection is made to create a more soothing environment for those few moments of hold time. The duration and spacing of messages is designed to flow smoothly, but interestingly…as opposed to the jarring and interrupting advertising we often experience. 

Today’s Dental or Medical office requires a different, more caring approach their patients' On Hold experience…or they may be creating just another fearful…and painful…customer experience.

If you’re not a student of inbound telephone call statistics, you may not be aware that every business day, many phone calls are terminated before the sale or transaction is made because callers don’t like to wait on hold in silence…and they hang-up!

Ok, there may be other reasons why people hang up early.  Maybe their tea-pot started whistling, or the baby cried, or the dog was eating their homework…but much of the time, it’s because the caller felt like their on hold experience was not up to par with their expectation of customer service. 

That is to say that their perception of the time in waiting was too long…

…and their response is to disconnect or hang-up, terminating the sale or transaction

…and possibly the relationship present and future.

Enter Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity, commonly expressed as E=mc² .

Which, thankfully, for the rest of us, has also been expressed like this:

“When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes.

             When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours.

                         That’s relativity.”

The way your callers perceive their elapsed time On Hold is relative.

- A pleasant On Hold experience will be perceived as a less time than actual

- An unpleasant On Hold experience will be perceived as more time than actual. (Ouch!)                                                                                                  

Making an On Hold experience more painful than it needs to be is simply wrong…and bad for business…especially when there are intelligent, proven, and cost effective methods to cause On Hold time to be perceived as even shorter than it actually is.

Want to create a more pleasant On Hold experience that’s seems shorter than sitting on a hot stove?  Get in touch with a real studio specializing in On Hold message creation, preferably a member of the On Hold Messaging Association.

On Hold Marketing is celebrating its 20th year in business. Established in 1989 as a regional company operating from their Richmond studios, On Hold Marketing has been helping businesses and practices turn “telephone hold time” into a better experience for their callers. Their music and voiced productions provide an entertaining and informative atmosphere causing callers to ask questions about the company’s products and services. Added benefits include reduced caller frustration, and fewer hang-ups.

On Hold Marketing has earned their stability by keeping their customers’ marketing messages current and engaging, earning them a 96% repeat business rate as well as their industry’s “Holdie Award” for production value and creativity. Growth has been fueled by niche internet marketing and an acquisition resulting in a significant new presence in several vertical markets and new customers in nearly every US state, Canada, and the U.K.

In 2006 a local competitor, SalesMaker On Hold Systems, was acquired. Rich Moncure, On Hold Marketing’s President, stated, “The acquisition just made sense, the overlap in target markets was minimal and merging operations was seamless since we were producing in similar digital formats”.  This added more experienced people and several hundred new customer sites across the country.

On Hold Marketing helps their customers address their captive audiences with branding and information in several environments:

• Telephone On Hold with music and messaging
• In-store & lobby areas with music and messaging  
• Gas pumps with music and messaging

On Hold Marketing is guided by President, Rich Moncure, a 15 year veteran of the telecom industry.  Customers are supported with a staff of 5 with combined 60 years experience in music, marketing, telecom, copywriting, & audio production.

For more information about On Hold Marketing, please visit www.onholdmarketing.com.

Contact Information:
Dan Bryant/VP-Business Development
(804) 273-6900 danbryant@onholdmarketing.com

Richmond, Virginia-January 12, 2010

On Hold Marketing was awarded an endorsement of services by Virginia Banker’s Association to the association’s member banks and association members to provide telephone on hold messaging, digital signage solutions, and web audio services.

As an endorsed provider, On Hold Marketing will help member banks increase brand awareness and messaging to its existing and prospective clients, with a focus on ‘attentive audience’ marketing.  ‘Attentive Audiences’ are those customers that are in line or in queue for a service under a variety of conditions.  They could be ‘in line’ on the telephone (on hold), at a teller window, in a lobby, or visiting a website.   On Hold Marketing President Rich Moncure stated, “As a Virginia based company, we are happy to have received the endorsement by the VBA.  The banking industry in this state has historically been focused on providing outstanding personal service and value to it customers, and we look forward to doing the same for the VBA and its members.”

On Hold Marketing specializes in providing a single point of management and service for the various ‘attentive audience’ touch points found within a bank or company.  

On Hold Marketing was founded in 1989 in Richmond, Virginia and provides services nationally, but with considerable focus in Virginia.  

For more information, please contact Rich Moncure or Dan Bryant with On Hold Marketing at 800-342-0098, or visit www.onholdmarketing.com.

Are you considering adding On Hold Marketing to your distributor locations?  If done right, it’s a positive addition to your company’s image, brand awareness, sales figures, event enrollment…even an improvement in the mood of callers!  …and since a large portion of your business comes to you via telephone, the impact of doing it wrong can be significant.  Ok, now we can get to the first of three questions I see distributors overlooking…and it’s a biggee.  #1 “Why are we considering On Hold Marketing” This needs to be more than “because our competition is doing it”. There are several good reasons, but the driver is the sheer number of inbound calls that are momentarily put On-Hold.  Even 30 hold events a day is 660 monthly.  And before you reinstate last year’s commitment to “never put anyone on hold again!”, consider this:  Smart businesses are fine-tuning their staff so that, with a short hold time, they can handle more calls.  The key to success is a program that’s interesting so your contractors will stay on the line…while giving them more reasons to do more business with you.   #2 “What are our expectations?” A appropriate On Hold Marketing program can be expected to make callers feel better about their brief hold, increase awareness about new people-products-events-seminars-HVAC/R industry trends, and add-on sales. Anything less is just “noise on hold”…(satisfying  no expectations). The #3 consideration that many wholesalers overlook is the value of an industry-specific on-hold provider. The pronunciation of the specific terms and phrases used by your industry is critical to the credibility of your marketing messages….and an inexperienced on-hold producer can cause you some pretty big headaches if your customers are pointing out mispronounced acronyms, building codes and efficiency designations.    If you consider the three points we’ve featured here, you’ll be taking the right path toward knowing if, or how, or why to include On Hold Marketing as a new element of your overall marketing.

On Hold Marketing is only one slice of the total marketing pie if you’re an HVAC/R, HARDI, or ASA distributor.  After all, a large portion of your sales come to you via the telephone…and the typical HVACR/HARDI/ASA distributor location puts around 30 calls a day on hold…so making sure you handle inbound calls properly isn’t something to ignore.  You should have a mini-marketing plan for the message-on-hold slice of your marketing.   Although HVAC/R distributors serve their own unique markets, they do share a common caller profile.  Knowledge of the HVAC/R distribution business and your caller profile allows one to address distributor marketing specifically, but the elements shown here can work no matter which On Hold provider you’re using for on hold message.  Here’s how it all works:  Your advertising tools (eg: sales force, web site, flyers, trade ads) encourage contractors to call. (to order, check on an order, ask for specs, register for an event or promotion) If callers go on hold for a moment or two, then your message on hold program reinforces your other advertising in web sites, print ads & sales team promotion. It’s all about multiplying your marketing. 

Here’s how to really get something back from your on hold message….get your calendar out and make dates to.. 

#1 - Consult managers on a list of hot topics

#2 - Change the message at least quarterly (at least re-visit it!)

#3 - reinforce your marketing messages being used elsewhere

       (e.g.; your web site, flyers, promotions) 

#4 - Inform your inside sales staff of the content of the on hold message 

#5 - help inside sales people prepare to answer questions generated by the on hold message

     (yes, this looks allot like #4, this is actually anticipating questions and preparing answers) 

#6 - create a specific plan for inquires received by inside sales people..

      ...so they transfer the inquiry to the appropriate outside sales people asap.

#7 - Draw in delivery drivers to help with your marketing...they can leave flyers or pens, or pads...some customers only see two of your staff members...their rep...and their delivery driver!  

 Call it whatever you want, message on hold, on hold message, or on hold marketing…it deserves more than passive glance.  If you'd like to brainstorm this with someone with industry experience, call us at 800-342-0098. 

Did you notice the OHMA logo on our web site?  We’ve been a member of OHMA for many years…nearly since its inception.  Every element of our company image includes the OHMA logo.  It’s a mark of assurance for you…assurance that you’re being served by a reputable, ethical, capable on hold messaging company that is held, not only to a higher standard...standards you might not have thought of as important.
Here are a few examples of  criteria for membership in OHMA:
    On Hold Messaging must be The Member's primary business function.
    The Member must have a proven track record of On Hold Messaging excellence.
    The Member must be a comprehensive, full-service provider.
    The Member must provide flexible payment options.
    The Member is held accountable to OHMA standards.
    OHMA will provide arbitration in the unlikely event of a dispute.

These are things you want in an on hold provider.

These rules for membership disqualify those who claim to be on hold provider such as those who:
-    produce on hold messages “on the side”
-    been in business under 5 years
-    provide only players...or only programs…or don’t provide basic message change options such as remote uploading…or don’t support a wide range of digital equipment
-    only have a single pay plan
-    or who refuse to agree to arbitration

OHMA association members do what good members of any association do…they pay significant dues, commit their time to the betterment of their industry, and attend meetings to share ideas, and learn, about how to improve their business model and add more value to the services they provide.

OHMA members also have better access to digital equipment manufacturers...finding out what’s new…what’s going out….and where problems are being experienced.

…with an OHMA Member, you get A BETTER way to Educate, Motivate, Communicate. The right message. The right tone. Every time.

That’s why we’re members...and why OHMA membership should be one of the selection criteria you should consider.

Yes, naturally, there’s a price for what we do…from $39-249 per month for a single site depending on the plan…(much less for additional sites). As you compare on hold providers, consider this. Asking 3 on hold providers for a price is like asking 3 auto dealerships for a price on a car. Cars are different…just like on hold providers are different. They can be low price, but also low value, so knowing what you expect your on hold program to do for you is a big part of finding a provider that’s a good fit for your expectations…whether it’s a Chevy or Caddy. Many inquirers call us knowing that their competition has “something on hold” and they have “nothing on hold”…therefore their expectations are to get “something on hold”. Now if your competition has “On Hold Marketing” …and you install “something on hold”…you’ve got a problem, because your competition is actually building a marketing relationship with your customers, reducing abandon calls, reducing complaints about the hold time… and you’re just playing “something”…we call this “noise on hold”. Be sure to add to your comparative analysis that OHM has been helping businesses and practices build a better image, customer loyalty, and simply more awareness of their service offering for over 20 years

See how your prospective On-Hold provider matches up with our advantages:
-    20 years experience helping businesses and practices
-    Technical Support for industry standard on hold equipment
-    In-house script writing, proofing, audio editing & productions
-    Female and male voice talents on every production
-    Subscriptions that keep us engaged in your marketing and maintain a message that’s current and interesting
-    Soundtrack-quality music and sound effects libraries choices
-    Full 6 minute programs with 8-10 messages per program
-    National HOLDI Award Winners for creativity and production quality
-    Member – On Hold Messaging Association and other industry associations