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.

 

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 .

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

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

             Put your hand on a hot stove for two seconds, it seems like two minutes.

                         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 shorter than it actually is.

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

 

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.