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How many customers do you lose -Silence On Hold Can Be Detrimental to Your Business
Silence to customers on hold can result in negative impressions towards your organization. If callers hear silence,
unsure if they are still connected. There are times when customers must hold due to large volume of incoming
calls, as in a call center. Other times it may be necessary to ask the customer to hold while you look up their
request. Why not use this time to promote your business to these customers. Perhaps upsell or cross sell, talk
about new products or promotions, key features about your products that may be different from your competitor.
At the very least you can play music. Before you tap into the local radio station or play CD's you need to check if
there are royalty fees owed. Not all of this music is free especially when used for business purposes. Check on
line for royalty free music. You may have to pay a one time free to get one or two CD's, but you won't have to pay
ongoing licensing fees every time the song is played. Here is one such site: http://www.premiumbeat.com.
Here are some interesting statistics (source: OHMA.org) regarding caller preferences and tolerance while on hold.
"Executives spend 15 minutes a day or 68 hours a year on hold." - USA Today
"41% of American consumers have initiated a purchase over the phone in the last year." - American Teleservices
Association
"On average, seven out of ten callers are placed on hold."
- Inbound/Outbound
"94% of all marketing budgets are spent on inducing a customer to call, while only 6% is spent on handling the
call once it is received." - Inbound Telephone Call Center
Jefferson Denneandrus, a research firm, found when callers were presented with On Hold Messaging versus
silence or a radio commercial they would stay on hold longer, they were more likely to exhibit interest in the product
advertised, they were more likely to retain information, and they were less agitated.
Survey results found that 88% of callers preferred On Hold Messages to other hold options, and 16% made
purchases based on an on hold offer. - MaxiMarketing
Callers stay on the line up to 25% longer when provided with On Hold Messaging versus "dead air" or "background
music," and up to 17% longer than radio. - Infomax, Inc.
"The average person will spend 1.2 years on hold." - Woman's World Magazine
"34% of callers who hang up will not call back." - Voice Response, Inc.
Silence to customers on hold can result in negative impressions towards your organization. If callers hear silence,
unsure if they are still connected. There are times when customers must hold due to large volume of incoming
calls, as in a call center. Other times it may be necessary to ask the customer to hold while you look up their
request. Why not use this time to promote your business to these customers. Perhaps upsell or cross sell, talk
about new products or promotions, key features about your products that may be different from your competitor.
At the very least you can play music. Before you tap into the local radio station or play CD's you need to check if
there are royalty fees owed. Not all of this music is free especially when used for business purposes. Check on
line for royalty free music. You may have to pay a one time free to get one or two CD's, but you won't have to pay
ongoing licensing fees every time the song is played. Here is one such site: http://www.premiumbeat.com.
Here are some interesting statistics (source: OHMA.org) regarding caller preferences and tolerance while on hold.
"Executives spend 15 minutes a day or 68 hours a year on hold." - USA Today
"41% of American consumers have initiated a purchase over the phone in the last year." - American Teleservices
Association
"On average, seven out of ten callers are placed on hold."
- Inbound/Outbound
"94% of all marketing budgets are spent on inducing a customer to call, while only 6% is spent on handling the
call once it is received." - Inbound Telephone Call Center
Jefferson Denneandrus, a research firm, found when callers were presented with On Hold Messaging versus
silence or a radio commercial they would stay on hold longer, they were more likely to exhibit interest in the product
advertised, they were more likely to retain information, and they were less agitated.
Survey results found that 88% of callers preferred On Hold Messages to other hold options, and 16% made
purchases based on an on hold offer. - MaxiMarketing
Callers stay on the line up to 25% longer when provided with On Hold Messaging versus "dead air" or "background
music," and up to 17% longer than radio. - Infomax, Inc.
"The average person will spend 1.2 years on hold." - Woman's World Magazine
"34% of callers who hang up will not call back." - Voice Response, Inc.