The best on hold messaging programs return anywhere between 0 and 10,000% return on the initial investment.   There may be certainly be weeks, months, or even a year whereby it may be difficult to completely and convincingly attribute transactions and sales to the on hold program.  Most likely, sales ‘happened’, but the sale could not be completely traced or attributed to the program.  Or maybe the program content was more designed to make general branding statements or provide educational content to customers on hold.   And then there are those glorious occasions that make your on hold provider dance for joy and plead for a written testimonial.  That’s the monster $600,000 sale that was easy attributed to the on hold program, because the customer happened to ask somebody to tell them a bit more about a new service or product they heard about while they were on hold. 

 It happens. 

It happened to one of our customers, and they were kind enough to call us up and tell us.  We wonder how often it happens and we don’t get the phone call.  We also wonder how often it happens and our customer is not made aware of what initiated the sale.   Well…..we’ll readily admit it’s somewhat difficult to truly track ROI and sales efforts to an on hold messaging program.  However, even if the answer was 0%, the reality is that a good on hold messaging program pays for itself quickly.  For a buck or two a day, take into consideration the work that the program is doing in terms of just keeping a customer holding instead of hanging up.  If you don’t have an on hold messaging program, “Silence” on hold is not golden.  People hang up on silence, and quickly at that.  Do you return those ‘beep-beep’ tones that are considered a phone system feature?  Beep tones can drive your callers crazy and be confused as being call-waiting.  Playing a radio station on hold?  A radio station may promote your competitor, or a simple music file can get old very quickly.  A ‘hang-up’ caller may very well be an existing customer that calls a competitor.  That’s lost revenue, and it might be big $’s. So……if you can’t seem to measure the ROI of your program, don’t fret.  Your program is always quietly and certainly paying for itself.  In addition to giving you another avenue to build your brand, it is also functioning as a tool to keeps folks holding.  Other forms of advertising (billboards, direct mail, TV / radio advertising) fill no other function other than to simply advertise.  Your low cost on hold messaging program is fulfilling a crucial additional function.   So is your program paying for itself?  Yes.   Can I accurately measure how many sales $’s are generated?  Probably not.

We’re fortunate to work with quite a few medical practices, and some of the things we’ve learned in writing their scripts we’re able to pass along to the rest of our clients and friends. As America gears up for the coming flu season, and especially the H1N1 or “swine” flu, the advice from our medical practices is practically unanimous. Whether you get a flu shot or not, and whether you get the Swine Flu vaccine or not, remember to always wash your hands after going to the bathroom, before eating, or after touching anything that just doesn’t feel clean. Cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze into the inside of your elbow. Maintain a healthy diet, get regular exercise and drink plenty of water. If you feel bad, stay home. If your kids feel bad, keep them home. Preventing the flu is the best thing you can, preventing it’s spread if you get it is the next best thing.

An ongoing project in 2009 has been the redesign of our web site, which debuted in it’s new form at the beginning of September. If you have visited us lately, please spend a few minutes at www.onholdmarketing.com . We think you’ll find it easier to navigate, and to find the things you’re looking for, especially audio demos, and how to contact us. There’s also a new section on playback equipment, including some close-up pictures that can help new customers understand our players and help existing customers troubleshoot their players.

A recent caller wanted to know why they should choose On Hold Marketing instead of another provider. My natural response was because “we provide a better product and a better service.” Of course that’s easy for me to say because I truly believe that we do. But if you’re shopping around, you need a more objective point of view. So here are a few questions to ask a potential provider:
1. How long have you been in business? You want to invest your time and money with someone who’s experienced in our industry, and who’s going to be here to serve you next month, next year and for five years down the road.
2. How long are your On Hold programs? Some providers will quote you a lower price, but they don’t tell you that you’re only getting a four minute program with just one voice. 6:00 has been the industry standard for over a decade, and a good provider will offer you alternating male and female voices on just about every program, unless you specify a different preference.
3. Do you have voice talent samples on your web site? As good as any scripts might be, bad voice talent will ruin them. And not everyone has the same level of talent available. Make sure you’re able to listen to the talent available before you make final decision on an On Hold provider.
4. Does your staff have experience or a background in telecommunications? While there are still plenty of old-fashioned PBX and KSU telephone systems out there, today’s newer systems offer many more features, and can also be much more complex. This can impact what you can play On Hold in a number of ways, including whether or not you need an external player, and if so, how it might connect to your phone system. Make sure your provider is familiar with your phone system before moving forward.
5. Do you write and produce your programs in-house? Those providers who farm out the writing and/production aren’t really in the On Hold business. They’re in the sales business…selling something to you that somebody else produces. They typically don’t have very much invested in your success, or in the quality of your On Hold programs.
There are a number of other questions you can ask, but these are probably the most important. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you want to know more about choosing an On Hold provider, even if it’s not us…although we hope it will be.