As a marketing professional, mother, wife and personal secretary (or so my husband thinks), I am on the phone a lot, and working with telephone messages on hold, I really take note of what people are playing when they put me on hold. Let me tell you, not all of it is pleasant, and we’re sure at some point in time you’ve also heard inappropriate use of on hold time. Here’s an example of a massive on hold fail I heard yesterday.

I called a medical professional (I won’t get into specifics) and the receptionist asked if I would mind holding for a couple of minutes. “No worries” I said, and expected to be put on hold to a message on hold program, or at the very least some music on hold. Instead, the receptionist simply put the phone down, and proceeded with her conversation with another patient.

I could hear everything – from blood tests to results to suggestions. It was actually very personal information that I was privy to, and it wasn’t even my own. I didn’t know who the other person was on the other line, so it shouldn’t have mattered – right? Wrong! The receptionist proceeded to book this patient in for an appointment, and mentioned that patient’s name. Now I don’t know them, and to be honest, the name has already slipped from my mind … but what if I had? Shouldn’t this information be top secret?

What an epic example of why businesses need a telephone message on hold program.

So many businesses claim they don’t put callers on hold, and if this is what they mean by not putting callers on hold, then I strongly suggest they reassess their internal communication strategies.

Instead of leaving me waiting and listening to a private conversation for 3-minutes, this medical practice could have used this time to educate me about important information about their practice; about their care and additional services they provide. 

From a marketing perspective, telephone messages on hold is an extremely important internal marketing strategy, and I’m amazed at how many businesses overlook this marketing channel. Messages on hold is a relatively inexpensive and effective way to promote your business and services to your callers.

Avoid message on hold fails, and call Media Messages today on 1300 796 694 and get a professionally scripted, voiced and edited audio production for your telephone on hold system.