How much do you know about on hold marketing?
Nobody wants to be put on hold. But sometimes there’s no other option and it has to be done. So, businesses need to make sure the process is as painless as possible. Keeping your customers happy in a queue on a business phone system is the key to retaining current customers.
In this brief article, we’ll discuss the benefits that on-hold marketing can bring to your business through effective customer engagement.
What Is On-Hold Marketing?
Whether you need to put a customer on hold when being transferred to the correct department or to wait for a specific person, being on hold is a marketing opportunity not to be missed.
The majority of customers who get put on hold will hang up and not call back. On hold marketing is a way to reduce the number of missed opportunities through licensed music, a professional voice and engaging marketing messages – promoting current deals and offers, or just reminding customers that help is on the way.
How To Use On-Hold Marketing To Benefit Your Business
A telephone call is often the first experience a customer has with your business, so making a strong first impression with professional, personalised on hold marketing could be the difference between a sale or not. Here’s a few reasons why on hold marketing is so useful to businesses:
Boost Your Brand
Conveying a professional image on your recorded phone messages helps customers understand and be reminded what your company is and what it stands for. Being consistent and engaging will help keep people interested on the phone while they wait to be transferred.
A company’s on hold message should include basic information such as your business name, strap-line, business hours, contact details and menu options.
Create a message that your callers will want to hear:
- Avoid generic messages such as “Your call is important to us, we will be with you shortly” and “Thank you for calling”. These messages won’t keep your customers engaged because they will have heard them so many times before from other companies.
- Make your message about the caller by adding relevant and engaging information that adds value.
- End all of your on hold messages with a strong CTA that clearly explains what you want the customer to do.
- Use a professional voice to make your messages as clear and professional as possible. When callers hear a welcoming voice, they are more likely to have faith in the company and wait rather than hang up.
- Add some licensed music to your hold messaging to keep customers entertained while listening. Music is also a way to tell the customer that their call is still connected and will be answered as soon as possible. Consider how the music fits will represent your brand and choose something that represents your company’s core values and brand voice.
- Most importantly, keep your message brief and to the point regardless of how long the customer is on hold. If you try to cramp too much information into your recording, it’s unlikely the customer will remember it. Repeating short messages is a more effective way to keep your customer engaged.
Reduce Hang-Ups
A positive customer experience means people are more likely to wait on the phone to speak to somebody.
In addition to trying to answer the call as quickly as possible, through on hold marketing you can fill the silence by:
- Telling the customer interesting facts about your business.
- Describing customer loyalty programmes, current promotions and events.
- Inviting callers to follow your social media channels and browse your website.
- Regularly change your recorded messages so returning customers don’t get fed up with hearing the same thing again and again.
On-hold marketing has been proven to lower a company’s complaints rate by giving customers reassurance that their call is still connected and reminding them of the reasons that they should buy from you compared to competitors. A cleverly recorded message could even provide an answer to the customer’s query, leaving the customer satisfied and freeing up valuable time for another call.
Increase Sales
On hold marketing technology means that you never have to miss a business lead again, even when it comes from out of hours or were too busy to answer. More leads equal more sales.
A product up-sell promotes more profitable services and package deals, which is an effective way to drive sales by providing the customer with better value for money. In a similar way, cross-selling additional products or services that are of interest to the customer is a great way to boost revenue. Both of these sales tactics can be used in on-hold marketing through recorded messages. Make it easy for the customer to take up an offer or discount by asking your sales or customer service representatives to repeat the message on the call.
Lower Up-Front Costs
Companies can spend thousands on things like logos, websites, radio advertising campaigns, business stationery and stickers with little to no return on their investment.
The cost of on hold marketing is significantly lower yet much more effective at getting your customer through the sales process and buying a product or service from your company. Most on hold marketing packages are paid monthly, which is often more suitable for small businesses that don’t have the funds to pay for a large up-front cost.
Ways To Reduce Your Hold Times
Ultimately, a business wants to keep its customers on hold for the least amount of time possible. But that also means taking advantage of the opportunities that on hold calls give you.
Here are a few methods to implement that can cut your average call hold time.
Update your FAQs
Dedicate a section of your website to common problems such as logging in and provide a step by step guide on how to resolve it. Your customers will prefer to resolve the problem quickly rather than waiting on hold and your team can answer other calls that could lead to a sale.
Use your recorded message to encourage customers to visit your knowledge base rather than wait on hold.
The benefits of a well-written FAQ page include:
- Addressing a customer’s needs to improve customers’ experience.
- Helping customers make a purchasing decision with facts and details.
- Using keywords to increase your online visibility in the search engines.
Use Alternative Support Channels
Adding email or live chat services to your support channels is a more affordable and efficient way to solve customer queries and issues.
Social media is particularly effective because it’s quick, easy to use and available 24/7. Customers can also upload images or videos to back up their query and help the customer service representative solve the issue faster.
Provide a Call-Back Service
Avoid putting customers on hold altogether by offering a callback service. This service is designed to prevent customers from having to wait on a call and instead have a member of staff call them back when they are available. Customers can then go about their daily lives without getting frustrated that their call hasn’t been answered yet.
Customer Experience Is More Important Than Ever
Making a great first impression over the phone can make a significant difference to your sales figures. Ultimately, the purpose of on hold marketing is to keep callers engaged so you can convey important messages and increase the chances of the customer staying on the call.
Ensure your business never misses another opportunity again with Yo Telecom’s On-Hold Marketing, as well as Missed Call Tracking system. We can help you design the best on hold solution to meet your company’s needs.
