I have been asked by business owners what are some measurable benefits of having on-hold advertising of their own products and services on their phone systems for callers to listen to while on-hold. And I'm always delighted to explain, because there are so many measurable benefits.
Consider being put on-hold yourself. You don't like it, right? You especially don't like it when there is nothing but dead air to listen to while you wait, because you never really know for sure if you are still connected. Time seems interminable when you are just waiting... waiting... waiting... for someone to come back on the line and answer the questions you need to ask.
Music on-hold is okay, but it's still impersonal and sometimes jarring...
And if you hear a radio station on-hold where you consider doing business you have to wonder, sometimes, why the business you're calling violates re-broadcast laws (and will they violate other laws pertaining to your interests in the same cavalier manner any time it suits them?) or you wonder why they would place a radio station on their phone system that may at times advertise their competitors' products and services...
If a business is running CD's they are probably violating the rights of the artists and musicians whose CD's they are playing, because getting ASCAP or artist approval is very expensive...
But WHEN a business uses On-Hold Concepts (and thousands do) they are being legal, astute, and practical, because the service costs just pennies a day and the messages target the people most likely to listen, to learn something new, and to come to an appreciation of all they have to offer as a business.
Consider this:
It's cheaper to license music through On-Hold Concepts than it is to pay the appropriate licensing fees to the various agencies that are required.
Music that's 'out there' for public use which does NOT require music licensing is generally of poor quality and typically doesn't sound as though it belongs to the contemporary age. Why would any business want to put poor-quality, out-dated music on their phone system? To save a buck? What does that say about their consideration for the people who are calling in to find out more about them? "We're too busy and cheap to make you feel valued and welcome as you wait. We just hope this pathetic attempt at entertainment will keep you from hanging up on us until we can get back to you..."
Some unscrupulous companies simply steal music, assuming (incorrectly) that if it's on the radio or on a CD they purchased, they can use it. Not so. Fines are steep for stealing music and/or for not paying appropriate licensing fees. Why would any reputable company take the chance? Wouldn't a bust for copyright and ASCAP violations and the accompanying heavy fines look dandy on the "local business" page of your newspaper? Gadzooks... NO!
Most companies that purchase music from an artist (i.e., bring a guitar in and record their own music) usually end up with an anemic result or with a short, repetitive program that irritates a frequent caller after a very short time. After all, can an "in-house" person create music that sounds like it belongs to this generation? If so, they're probably making their own music and licensing it through ASCAP and BMI, and don't have the time or inclination to make you a powerhouse on-hold musical recording that will mesmerize your on-hold caller.
Music, advertising, anything you have running on-hold should be changed frequently to keep things fresh and vital--just like your business!
How many businesses create on-hold music and advertising programs themselves? And those few that do: Does it really save them money? What are people's time worth? What is the business owner's time worth?
The bottom line is: Why lose any sleep over creating a professional, welcoming result on-hold when you can have On-Hold Concepts -- a company that specializes in the whole thing -- do all the work for pennies?
Go to http://www.onholdconcepts.com/ and take a listen. We can create a program for your business that will throw a spotlight on your products and services and that will create for your on-hold callers an experience that reassures them that you know their time is valuable, and that they are valuable to you. You can address their needs even as they wait. Perceived wait time is much shorter; and perhaps best of all, the caller is happy and already quite well-informed when you get back to them...
So -- really -- what's NOT to like about being placed on-hold by a business that uses On-Hold Concepts as its on-hold service provider?
Oh, we also offer sparkling, contemporary all-music and mostly-music on-hold programs, as well as offering Music Choice and DirecTV to businesses with public waiting areas and showrooms.
We make a customer's waiting time feel wonderful and well-spent, so there are fewer hang-ups and there is much less annoyance. Wouldn't that make your day as much as it makes your customer's? All for just a few cents a day.
I'm sold on the products and services we offer. In my opinion, there is none better, which is why we have been in business for twenty years. We're the great granddaddy of the on-hold industry but still as contemporary and cutting edge and tomorrow's headlines.
Don't take my word for it. Read and hear the testimonials on-line at http://www.onholdconcepts.com/.
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