Choosing the Best Hold Music and Overhead Paging Can Boost Your Business to Number 1

Ron drinking bad hold music on a hot summer day

Bad hold music can turn customers away in the blink of an eye.

We’ve all been there in those frustrating moments where we call a business only to be put on hold. And, as time drags on, so does our patience for the music that continues to yell in our ears as we wait. Many companies’ choices for best-hold music should never have been choices, to begin with.

 

It’s a great feeling to know that your service or product is gaining popularity. You hire more staff, purchase more equipment, and try your best to keep up with demand. Customer service is essential to you. Unfortunately, even with the best receptionist for your busy business, there still comes the inevitable need sometimes to put your waiting customers on hold.

 

To keep your customers from getting frustrated with waiting, make sure the time spent on hold is a calming one. So, when choosing the best hold music, there are a few things to keep in mind.

 

Keep it Professional

The types of hold music you choose depends on your business and customer base.

The types of hold music you choose depends on your business and customer base.

 

Regardless of how your customers are interacting with your brand, whether it be in person, online, or waiting to speak to someone on the phone, you are making an impression. Choose music that is professional and puts your brand in the best light. By putting a little extra effort into making your customer’s on-hold experience as soothing (and as short) as possible, you’re building your brand’s reputation.

 

Know your Audience

Choosing the right hold music isn't rocket science, but there is a trick to it. You wouldn't want to have Korn as your hold music if you were a doctor's office, but if you were a concert venue it might be a good choice.

Choosing the right hold music isn’t rocket science, but there is a trick to it. You wouldn’t want to have Korn as your hold music if you were a doctor’s office, but if you were a concert venue, it might be the right choice.

 

Heavy music like rock and metal might work well in specific industries, a motorcycle shop seems fitting, but it can be distracting for many businesses. Choose the best hold music that mimics the feeling you want your waiters to feel. Classical and other instrumental music might be the first choice, but even that can get a little boring. Choose music that your customers enjoy, and if you’re not sure what kind of music that is, don’t be afraid to ask.

 

Mix it Up A Little Bit

There's nothing more annoying than being stuck on hold for an infinite amount of time unless the hold music loops repeatedly.

There’s nothing more annoying than being stuck on hold for an infinite amount of time unless the hold music loops repeatedly.

 

Nothing can get more annoying when waiting on hold than when you’ve listened to the same song for the last twenty minutes. If someone has waited that long, clearly they have an important reason to speak with you. And, trust me, twenty minutes, and feel like an hour when you have nothing signifying that time has passed. A good idea that many businesses choose is to play an easy-listening or another top 50 radio station. You’ll need to hope that one song that always gets stuck in their head doesn’t come on.

 

Think About More Than Just The Music

 

More important than the song is your brand’s ability to communicate with your customers. Make sure you let them know the situation. If it’s a busier time than usual, tell them that. Find out their first name and use it when speaking to them. You can also record voiceovers that continue to talk to them throughout the hold period, letting them know that someone will be right with them.

 

Many companies choose this time to market sales and other services; however, ensure that this plan works for your business before implementing it, as it could do more harm than good.

 

Whatever hold music you decide to choose, know that the most crucial thing is to ensure you’re getting to your customer’s questions as quickly as possible. The more time they don’t have to spend on hold, the more excellent customer service you can offer.

Let’s Talk Overhead Paging

overhead aging unit in a large office

An overhead paging solution can not only make your business more efficient, but it can also bring everyone together.

While working as a part-time deli clerk in the mid-90s at AJ’s Fine Foods, I quickly became comfortable with overhead paging. I can still hear my voice reverberating across the aisles as I made multiple pages a day:
“Bob, you have a call on line one. Bob, line one.”

 

For many businesses, paging, like hold music, is a necessity because of their size. In addition to the towering buildings, many companies have huge lots and warehouses where employees may not be easily reached. It’s typical for auto dealerships, factories, and manufacturing plants to have high ceilings and loud noises, whether it’s the echoing chatter in the showroom or the deafening sound of equipment in a service bay body shop. Hence the need for overhead paging.

So, we get it: you need a functioning overhead paging system to break through the noise and space of your business. That’s why this is something you need to consider carefully as you’re selecting a Hosted VoIP provider for your company.

 

We install overhead paging systems in businesses of all sizes. Do you need the speakers mounted outside on top of a pole? No problem, we can climb ladders. Do you need the speakers inside your warehouse, showroom, or office and hidden from view? We’ll mount them inside the ceiling with a grill cover. No job is too big, too small, or too challenging for us!
We even have a company that can build custom housing so that it will blend into your decor. No longer do businesses have to suffer from unsightly speakers. Now your overhead paging system can be designed to look like a piece of art. You are raising the aesthetic value of your office significantly!

What’s your favorite hold music? Let us know in the comments.

And as always, if you need any IT, VoIP, Security, Cloud, Home Automation, Video, Overhead Paging, hold music suggestions, or any other Technology Assistance, Click Here or call 480.493.5999!