According to Billy Joel “Music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music”
Music has the ability to influence people’s thinking, mood and understanding that has a positive effect on people without them noticing it. In the latest research commissioned by MusicWorks, it shows that 88% of participants were found to produce accurate test results when listening to one of the four genres. This means that there are certain types of musical genre that could enhance your skill set or that could increase more sales for your business.
Like for example — classical music was found to be the most effective for improving the accuracy of tasks and resolving every-day mathematical problems, with participants achieving a 73% pass rate. In business, when playing classical music at a wine store, it increases sales and leads customer to buy more expensive merchandise.
When it’s played in Restaurants, it causes diners to buy more compared to pop or no music. However this does not mean that classical music will also increase sales in other industries. Take for instance when you play classical music on a retail store.
This can cause customers to think merchandise is more expensive which isn’t always a good thing. For Retail, it is always advisable to play slow music that causes customers to shop at a slower pace leading to an increase in their spend.
As for Calls put On Hold, generally having music playing makes callers stay on the line longer. If you want callers to really enjoy their wait…music specific to your target customers taste causes the customer to perceive shorter waiting times.
This shows that music reduces the negative effects of waiting. By distracting the caller, their perception of how long they have been on hold is shortened. However, you must remember that your music choice will always depend on the type of business you have, your brand image and your customer.
Bad selection of on hold music or no music at all can damage your business and can increase hang-up rates as well as overall customer dissatisfaction. Music can be a key component of your overall brand and should be aligned with your messaging, call flow and business image. So it makes sense to fill your on-hold silence with music that reflects your identity and is consistent with the caller experience you’re trying to achieve.
So, how do you select the right Music on Hold for your business? Here are a few tips:
Consider your customers preference
When choosing the right music on hold, the key is knowing your callers and understand what they want to hear. Most businesses, it’s typically not as clear. Music is definitely subjective, and it’s impossible to please everyone, all the time.
But the goal with on-hold music should always be to align it with the tastes and preferences of the majority of your customers. Do you sell to a youthful market segment? Reggae or world music will most likely keep them entertained long enough for you to answer their calls.
Are you in a spa business? Then select a music that’s soothing and relaxing for your customer. Your music choice is a statement and it needs to show who you are as a business, individual and company. If you get it right, people don’t even realise it’s happening but they’ll get the culture. So do some research about your audience and find out what they like to listen to.
Tailor Music to the Callers’ Purpose
Beyond considering your brand image, it’s also important to think about what it is that your callers are trying to accomplish. Do you primarily have a sales line where customers call to place orders? The music should be energetic and engaging. Are they calling for technical help or to complain? To minimize their frustrations, you may want to choose something a little more soothing, to try to calm them before your team have to interact with them.
Know what popular music is used in your industry
See what kinds of music your competitors are using for their hold music. If they’re all in a similar genre, they might be on to something.
Be Up-to Date and Keep it fresh
To keep regular callers engaged, make sure you update your music from time to time. No customers want to hear the same song every time they call. Changing the selection every month or so will be a welcome relief for those who are frequently calling. And, as your business evolves, you might find that you have to rethink your music choices to stay current with your customers and your industry.
When music is being incorporated with Messages On Hold, it becomes one of most powerful marketing tools to captive your customers. Think about how often you make a purchasing decisions while you’re placed on hold, with Up to 20% of callers on hold made a purchasing decision based on what they heard on-hold.
Instead of being frustrating to your callers, the music you choose can be used as a very valuable marketing opportunity. Customers waiting on hold are a captive audience, and you have the opportunity to serve them well with valuable information about new products, your services or your website. You never know, the information playing on hold might be the exact service they’re looking for.
If you want help to select the right music for your business and want messages on hold tailored just for you, then Smart On Hold can help you with that!
Here at are Smart On Hold, we offer a wide range of Royalty Free Music Tracks with different music genres that you can choose from, to suit your business needs and your target market. We update our library of On Hold Music regularly, so you don’t need to worry about having an outdated Music On Hold image.
So why not take your business up to the next level with Messages On Hold and compliment your On Hold Music by pushing your Marketing Messages to your target market? Get our Music On Hold with customize Messages On Hold working for your business today!
Simply call 07 3117 0700 or fill out our enquiry form to get a personalised package to suit your businesses On Hold needs.
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Smart On Hold messages dramatically improves your professionalism allowing you to communicate with your callers, instantly creating credibility while keeping customers informed and reassured that dealing with you is the right decision.