7 Things To Know When Choosing On-Hold Music
Many businesses overlook on-hold music when setting up their call management. This usually means they end up choosing something they personally enjoy or something completely generic. This is because, on the surface, on-hold music doesn’t present itself as the marketing opportunity that it actually is. And choosing your tunes could determine whether you make a sale or not.
At SwitchBoardFREE we supply on-hold music for free with any account and we can see how underutilized the feature is. So we thought it was high time we addressed this issue. This is how we came up with the seven most important things you should know when choosing your on-hold music.
1. First impressions with on-hold music.
As any business person will know, first impressions are everything. And although keeping first-time customers or loyal customers on hold isn’t ideal, it can sometimes be inevitable. This could mean that the first impression and experience a potential lead could get from you is your hold music. If someone has chosen to hold for your service, the least you can do is reward them with something semi-enjoyable (no one enjoys being on hold!).
Think about the times you have called HMRC, the DVLA or even your doctor’s surgery. Those calls are usually out of necessity but made even more deplorable by the fact you have your eardrums assaulted by mundane and low-quality sounding music!
So when you’re teetering the curser over death metal or grime, just stop to consider whether your customers are headbangers or head nodders!
2. Keep calm & keep holding.
As previously covered, being on hold can be a drag and just plain inconvenient but it doesn’t have to feel that way. On-hold music can soothe your customer that’s why it’s important to choose the right genre. Your callers are less likely to mind the wait if it’s music they enjoy listening to. If you select the wrong song you may possibly upset or anger a customer further than they potentially may be – even if the issue they have isn’t necessarily to do with your business. Humans are funny things!
3. Time as a perception.
No doubt you’ve experienced for yourself when time seems to fly or go at a snail’s pace. It’s easy to feel time passed as different to the reality and what you’re doing at the time can dictate that perception.
In fact, studies show that if a customer listens to on-hold music for 30 seconds, they perceive this to be 15 seconds. Yet if left to listen to a dial tone or music they don’t like they believed this 30 seconds was much longer. By humming away to a known song, customers feel a lot less time has passed than when listening to the repetitive dial tone or music they dislike.
4. Staying on brand.
Whether you realise it or not, the on-hold music you select will represent you as a brand. It’s important to choose tunes that are the music that your customer will expect and not be confused by. This goes for established brands and new businesses trying to build on theirs. Consider your client base and your target audience. Then look for music that will appeal to that demographic and fit seamlessly with what you wish to be known for. For example, as a car mechanic, offering your customers the Barbie movie playlist wouldn’t sit with your image. That is unless you’re using it to surprise your customers, and that’s what they expect! Again, you might just put off potential customers if you’re a wedding planner who plays country blues!
5. Knowing what to choose.
Classical vs Pop
Of course, both types have their own pros and cons. Understandably young callers will be more likely to enjoy music from the Top 10 chart, whereas this may have an adverse effect on older callers, the same can be said for classical music, this can turn off younger callers.
Simple vs complex music
Historically companies have tended to use simple and more repetitive music as they felt this didn’t require the listener’s attention. However, more complex music has a more positive impact as this holds the caller’s attention. Leaving them less likely to think about the amount of time they have been on hold.
It might not be an easy task choosing what music to provide your customers with, after all, you’re never going to please everybody. Instead of just guessing, you could just ask your customers what they would like. You could post a poll on social media and make it a regular thing!
6. Stay fresh.
Don’t be afraid to change your music so regular callers aren’t left listening to the same songs each time they call. Update your music with the seasons to keep relevant. But remember to change it back, nobody wants to be listening to what Mariah Carey wants for Christmas whilst they are eating their leftover easter chocolate. If you neglect your on-hold music in this way your callers will be left feeling you don’t care.
At SwitchboardFREE we update our on-hold music weekly with the new Download Chart top 10. We also have seasonal playlists for you for Easter, Christmas and Halloween, for example. In addition, we make it our mission to get you the latest movie soundtracks and festival lineups. All for FREE, along with more than 20 other features!
7. Weave in your message.
Studies have shown the majority of caller (88%) like to hear messages when they are on hold, but it needs to be relevant messages. In one study 20% of callers made a purchase from hearing an offer whilst waiting for the call to be answered, this is a potentially huge untapped resource which can help to boost your company’s sales.
At the end of the day only you can decide the best music for your company and your products, but it requires a bit of thought. Of course, not everyone will love your choice, but if you change your playlist regularly you might just please most of the people most of the time. Just know that discovering the right music will help define your brand and better serve your customers.