Did you know that you have a targeted, low-cost and effective marketing weapon at your disposal? But chances are, you’re not using this opportunity to its full potential. We’re talking about your on hold and transfer call space. On hold marketing works every time.

Seriously, if you have ever spent time and advertising money on TV, print, radio, online or any other type of advertising to get a message to your customers – why haven’t you invested in your on hold & call transfer space too? Practically every business can benefit from on hold messages.

Think about it – when your customers call up, they are captive, conditioned to on hold messages and probably already doing business with you. The fact that they are existing customers means that firstly, they will be easier to influence and more accepting of marketing messages, and secondly, that they will genuinely be interested in how they can better use or benefit from your products or services.

We understand that people have reservations about investing in on hold messages. And that is exactly why our Smart On Hold service is free of lock-in contracts and backed by an unconditional, no-questions-asked 100% money back guarantee for the first 180 days.

Many business owners need to wake up and stop denying the fact that their customers are being exposed to this inevitable on hold space. We want them to stop leaving money on the table and start making the most of this fantastic, low-cost marketing opportunity.

Get on hold messages now

Make The Most Of Your On Hold Space

Most businesses have simply not considered how targeted, low-cost and effective a targeted on hold messages can be. The content in this inevitable space can do a lot more than aggravate your callers with dreaded muzak or inappropriate radio stations, confuse them with silence or even worse, bore them with lines like “we won’t keep you waiting long”. Why not get professional content purpose made for your business and for potentially less than the cost of paying APRA fees just to have a scratchy radio on hold?

You can not only prevent your customers from growing bored or frustrated as they wait on hold. With a dynamic, Smart On Hold service, you can automate, time and date messages and music to promote seasonal offers, answer FAQ’s, refer customers to online content and or explain to callers how they can even serve themselves faster, easier and more efficiently online.

And because your customers are naturally also your callers, you can utilise your on hold space to basically train your customers into being better customers. You can simply reiterate important and topical messages in a timely manner and with frequency every time they call you.

Want more bang for your advertising buck? Enquire about Smart On Hold messages NOW.

What Should Your On Hold Messages Convey?

The on hold space is where you can showcase your brand, convey current & relevant marketing messages, inspire your customers to take action, inform callers about your services, train your listeners into being better customers and answer any FAQ’s they may have. Just a few simple examples of potential on hold content you could include:

  • Promote products and services that your customers may not know you offer
  • Offer tips on how to better use your website
  • Train users on how to use products or service and answer FAQ’s
  • Educate callers on your latest sales, specials, events and offers (seasonal or otherwise)
  • Inform your customers of new products and or services that you offer
  • Updated company information like a new location or a change in branding
  • Pre-warn people of upcoming closures or special events
  • Provide interesting and useful information related to your industry

On hold messages provide your business with an opportunity to market your products or services affordably, effectively and directly to the people that matter – If done correctly, this cleaver form of marketing can get you similar or even better results than traditional forms of marketing, and it can do it for a fraction of the price.

Specifically, How Are Business Benefiting From Smart On Hold System?

Companies just like yours, all over Australia, are creating more sales, educating their customers, enhancing their brand and eliminating hang-ups with their on hold message system. Although on hold messages can be tailor-written to advantage any business, the following are common industry examples you will possibly even recognise:

  • Doctors – Tell callers to Dial 000 in an emergency, remind patients about seasonal vaccinations that can boost relevant GP visits immediately but also assist to reduce unnecessary patient health problems later, provide currently relevant health tips, teach callers how to book their appointments online, inform customers about important clinic information like opening hours and looming public holidays or closure periods.
  • Accountants & Tax agents – Inform your clients at the exact time it matters to them with dated messages about relevant tax information, remind callers about important EOFY dates, encourage people to submit their BAS statements on time by providing them with the exact and relevant dates right then and there while they hold. This will not only make you look clever but with genuinely be useful to your client and will potentially even encourage them to make an appointment.
  • Dentists – Remind patients about how often and why they should have regular check-ups, educate patients about payment or finance options that can allow them to get that big job done now & pay it off, provide useful dental tips and help reassure patients that their treatment will be pain-free. More info about dental on hold messages here.
  • Lawyers and solicitors – Actively promote and educate callers about important individual members of your team and his or her areas of expertise, you can also let callers know if and when important members of your team are away and when they will return. Inform your clients of relevant and current legal changes and or any opportunities that may affect them and build credibility with information on your accreditations, specialities or awards.
  • Real estate agents – Impress your landlords and vendors buy featuring your specially chosen sale and or rental property every month, inform callers of current projects or land developments, provide current property market information (like price rises or falls, interest rates etc.), inform callers of changes in rental/buyers rights, provide information about finance options. You can even impress both landlords and tenants with useful tips for educating tenants with practical information on what to do in an emergency such as a burst pipe etc, including how to locate the approved plumber in their lease documentation and their obligations as a tenant.
  • Vets – Reinforce the importance of regular veterinary examinations while also providing current information about locally relevant pet illnesses and allergies. Inform pet owners at exactly the right time about relevant and or current season health problems such as a Parvo or heartworm outbreak, heat exposure during summer or just promote practical tips for common health issues. More info about veterinary on hold messages here.
  • Mechanics – Reinforce the importance of regular services, actively teach you caller how to book their car in via your website, provide interesting information on products or service that customers might not know you offer. You can even just make your customer smile with light, yet interesting and useful maintenance or cleaning tips for their car as well as promoting details about your areas of expertise at the same time.
  • Retail outlets – Inform callers of opening hours, educate customers on current store sales and promotions. Provide cool information on new products or services and provide information about product availability, warranties or just promote individual brands directly.
  • Hospitality and tourism providers –  Introduce current deals, educate people about additional services such as current activity packages, provide travel tips including information on local and upcoming events and dates.
  • Financial service providers – Impress your clients with simple, yet interesting and usable budget tips, inform callers about current market information such as up to date bank offers and interest rates. Educate them on the different types of financial assistance currently available, answer FAQs, list relevant legislative updates, opportunities and generally keep them informed about tropical financial news.

Other Ways To Benefit Smart On Hold Messages

Service Your Customers Better and Faster

On hold messages can be used to convey information that helps you to service your customers more efficiently. For example – a customer may be calling to enquire about a frequently asked question or to request a form. Through your on hold messages, you can inform this customer where they can find the answers to commonly asked questions in the FAQ section of your website, and also that they can request any forms that they need online. Once the customer hears that they do not actually need to speak to one of your employees to get what they need, they will put down the phone and head to your website instead. Not only does this allow the customer to get what they want, but it also frees up your staff to deal with issues that do require a phone conversation.

Stop Hang Ups

A landmark study conducted by the North American Telecommunications Association found that:

  • 90% of callers who are faced with silence hang up within 40 seconds
  • With music on hold, they stay on the line for 30 seconds longer
  • With on hold messages, they stay on the line for up to 3 minutes

Another study, a survey by CNN found that without music or messages, 60% of callers will hang up and 30% will never call you back. Many businesses – and potentially yours – are losing customers due to lack of on hold messages. When a customer calls a business and is placed on hold, they don’t want to sit there in awkward, uninformative silence. They want to be assured that they will speak to a member of staff shortly, and they want to be informed and entertained. Don’t let your customers slip through your fingers at a crucial moment – tailor your on hold messages to keep them on the line!

Enhance Your Brand

The on hold space can be used to reassure your customers that they have made the right choice by choosing your business, and overall to generally enhance your brand. You can share testimonials, give people a summary of your background or even make customers aware of some of the major clients you work with. You can also keep your customers up to date with your latest news and inform them about any major expansions or projects, new acquisitions or new product lines.

Demonstrate Your Professionalism

On hold messages are often associated with major, successful companies. This means that having on hold messages can demonstrate your professionalism and make your company appear bigger than it actually may be. Why are on hold messages associated with success? Because they demonstrate that a business receives a high volume of calls, invests in their customers and cares about their reputation.

Generate More Sales

The more you tell, the more you sell. Effective on hold messages put a powerful sales message in front of people who are already on the phone and ready to do business with you. It’s reasonable to say that the majority of people who call your business aren’t aware of the extensive products or services, specials or optional extras that you may provide – and by making them aware, you can generate more sales instantly. Having great on hold messages can also put your callers into buying mode. The mood that your customers are in when they call your company plays a major role in whether they make a purchase or not. Keeping your customers on hold with silence, a poorly tuned radio station or cringe-worthy muzak is not going to have your customers in a good mood when they talk to your staff (and therefore, they are unlikely to be interested in buying anything from your company).

There are 3 major objections people have to making a purchase. Firstly, they don’t believe in you. Secondly, they don’t believe in your company. Thirdly, they don’t believe in your product or service. Playing on hold messages that address these concerns is sure to increase your sales.

Most Effective When Updated Regularly!

It is important for us to note that on hold messages provide much more value for businesses and their callers when they are updated regularly. Updated messages keep your on hold space fresh, prevent customers from hearing the same messages over and over, increase your ROI more effective for small businesses that change their on-hold messages 6 times or more per year) and keep your customers up to date with your business.

Time To Get Smart On Hold!

We know you want your customers to have the best experience possible, and we can help you provide it. If you have any questions about on hold messages for your business, don’t hesitate to contact us today for an obligation-free chat.

Smart On Hold is the most reliable on hold message companies that has been providing message on hold marketing, music on hold, auto attendant, after hour message, voicemail message, voicemail greetings and many more. Yes, on hold marketing works! So, don’t hesitate to call us to set up your message on hold marketing today!