Messages On Hold Mistakes

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While the use of a messages on hold service is without doubt a great marketing strategy for most businesses, be aware there are some pit falls to watch out for that could seriously damage the reputation and success of your business. Here we cover a couple of examples:

Mistake #1: Long Winded Messages
Try not to make the mistake of bombarding your customers by overloading the amount of information you give them.  Keep messages to a maximum of 30 seconds.   Telephone on-hold messages are very similar to radio advertisements, so make sure your presentation is clear and concise ensuring that all easily understands it.  Too much information will simply make your customers switch off or even worse, hang up.

Mistake #2: Improper use of Sound Effects
Too many or the wrong types of sound effects can be very annoying.  Listen to your audio production when it is complete and tweak anything that you think may have an adverse effect on your customers.  If you make your messages too long, too loud or too annoying you risk losing that customer.  Remember that some customers will hear your on hold messages in their entirety, while others will only hear a snippet.

Mistake #3: Inappropriate Music
Music has a huge impact on your customers. Select appropriate music that reflects your business.  Upbeat tones are perhaps not the most suitable choice if you are promoting a funeral service for instance.

Mistake #4: Not Enough Information
Don’t be afraid to highlight your businesses strengths and what sets you apart from your competitors.  Give your customers good reasons to come back time and time again and to tell their friends and family about your goods and services.

Mistake #5: The Wrong Voice Over
The tone you use in your voiceover for your messages on hold will have a big impact.  You would not use a monotone voiceover to promote a gymnasium, instead an up-beat, cheerful and motivating voice would be more appropriate as well as upbeat music in this situation.

Mistake #6: Stale Messages On Hold
Forgetting to update your telephone messages on hold service is another common mistake.   Stale messages that tell customers last year’s news is not a smart marketing move.  Keep your messages current and make sure you rotate or change your messages on hold regularly.

Website promotion is another great way to put your business out there.  Be sure to tell your customers your website address more than once, as they may not have written it down the first time. Also let them know what they can expect to find when visiting your site. It’s a great idea to include your basic company information such as your fax number, hours of operation, where you are situated etc.

If you avoid making the commonly made mistakes outlined above, you have greater opportunity to turn the people who call you into your customers.

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3 responses to “Messages On Hold Mistakes”

  1. book keeper adelaide says:

    Lovely Website, Thanks! Keep up the great work.

  2. caera says:

    Advertising a business is very important to drive traffic and make money. Message on hold is a highly popular and cost effective technique that helps attracting more customers towards business and make much profit with high success. So, it is necessary to keep in mind the all things like sound, tones, message, etc while providing information to the audience. 

  3. Trina says:

    Companies who make use of messages on hold for the first time would certainly enjoy your biggest don'ts. I did and it's because I'm now warned of the grave mistakes that I should avoid once I get to recording my own messages on hold. I love your tip about the 30-second limit and all the other pointers, which I also read about on this site

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