Why you need Advertising on Hold
It may sound simple, but on hold advertising – also known as on hold marketing – is a great way for you to let your customers know all about the products and services you offer. So, when a customer calls your company, you can let your business phone system do some of the work.
Advertising on hold has been shown to effectively reduce the perceived wait times by reminding callers that they are in a queue and have not been forgotten. Additionally, it decreases the number of callers who disconnect while on hold and enhances their perception of your brand. Whether you’re a large or small operation, having on hold advertising as part of your office phone system can give you a professional and organised appearance. You can make use of a captive audience.
This blog will enable you to think differently about your business phone system with your challenges in mind. This will include: reducing caller hang-ups, improving customer information sharing, and selling products and services on a limited budget by offering strategies to navigate your current predicament. Lets have a look at the stats.
WHAT IS ON HOLD ADVERTISING?
On-hold advertising is the use of a telephone system to deliver a message while callers are on-hold. Now, many businesses could use this feature, but many are leaving their customers in silence or listening to the same music on repeat. Being on hold does not have to be boring, this time can be used to inform and even sell to them.
Experience of Being Placed on Hold
Last year, a study involving over 1,000 UK-based consumers was conducted. It aimed to assess their experiences of being placed on hold and the call handling standards of UK businesses. It found that just 23% of people in the UK are happy with the way their calls to most businesses are handled, with satisfaction levels being particularly low among the older generations – just 12% of 55 to 64-year-olds claimed to be satisfied. Despite this, it also found 45% of UK consumers are actually quite happy to hold longer than a minute during calls made to businesses with only 6% not willing to wait at all, proving that us Brits all love a good queue!
“34% of callers who hang up will not call back” – Voice Response Inc.
“16% of callers have made a purchase based on an ‘on hold’ marketing offer.” – Maximarketing
“You typically have 38 seconds of held caller undivided attention.” – Electronic Distribution Today
“On average, 7 out of 10 business callers are placed on hold.” – AT&T
Interestingly, the research also reveals that among those who are willing to wait, an impressive 51% feel more appreciated as customers when presented with professional audio productions during their wait. Furthermore, nearly 40% state that such productions will motivate them to wait longer. This suggests profitability and missed business opportunity.
PROFITING FROM ON HOLD ADVERTISING
You can not only increase your profitability by reducing the number of hangs up from both potential and existing customers, but you can treat the time your customers spend on hold as valuable marketing space – free air time to tell a captive audience about your services. Let’s take a look into the benefits.
On-hold callers are a captive audience
The opportunity to market to on-hold callers is brief, yet they are an attentive audience, making it crucial to maximise this time. Advertising on hold will make your customers more likely to stay on hold if they feel that their time is valued.
A courteous and professional on-hold message can lessen the likelihood of a caller disconnecting. Are you conveying messages that make the customer feel appreciated? Even when you’re unable to answer calls instantly, an on-hold message can communicate the dedication and hard work you’ve put into your business and the value you place on their patronage.
On-hold marketing is free advertising
On-hold marketing capitalises on the captive audience you already have on the line. The key is to present them with a message that resonates. It’s crucial to view the time they spend waiting on-hold not as an interruption but as a prime opportunity. Providing them with engaging content to listen to increases the likelihood they will stay attentive, compared to leaving them in silence. Utilise this valuable time to inform the customer about special offers, introduce new services or products, or share seasonal messages. We have a blog dedicated to how advertising on hold can enhance your sales.
On-hold marketing helps reinforce your brand
Your initial greeting should be warm and welcoming, after all, this may be the first impression that a customer or prospect will get of your business. On-hold marketing is a great way to get across brand identity and to establish a positive first impression. When leaving a message with the hopes to make your brand one thing to remember, don’t miss an opportunity to reinforce your brand by mentioning your company names and your brand values.
SUMMARY
As customers are one of the most important aspects to your company, we understand how crucial it is to avoid any loss of potential business opportunities. That’s why we can work with you to set up your business phone system with automated messages for on hold callers, an auto attendant menu to improve caller satisfaction, copywriting services to create your scripts and both on hold music and speaker options. Improve the efficiency of your operations by saving valuable time with messages that answer frequently asked questions – for example queries about opening hours, locations and directions – and broadcast the latest news and information about your company. Your company’s telecoms solution should be just that – a solution. It should be a way to improve your processes, communications with customers and ultimately help make you money.
Want to find out how our telephony solutions can help you increase your productivity and reduce your costs? Or are you just looking for some friendly, impartial advice on the best tools to make communicating a breeze? We can help! Contact us today via our live chat, call 0333 3603 423, or email enquiries.uk@enreach.com.