We’ve all heard the standard, run-of-the-mill on hold message before: “Thank you for holding. Your call is very important to us. One of our representatives will be with you shortly…” But is that really the best way to connect with your customers? Moreover, is it benefitting your business? Switching to a more personal and relevant company on hold message can help make the waiting time more engaging for your customers—and more effective for your team.
On Hold Script Ideas and Tips
Whether you’re working with a professional voice artist or your own team, you’ll want to write out your on hold message before diving in to the recording. The following tips can help you craft the right on hold script for your brand and industry. Make as many revisions as you need and practice each line out loud to make sure your pacing and word choice have a natural flow.
1. Answer your FAQs
You can make your customers’ on hold time more productive by addressing the most common questions you receive. For some callers, hearing your hours at the start of the recording may be all they need to know. Another option is to tell clients about your website functions. If you have the option to schedule appointments online, let your callers know upfront. It might be easier for them to hang up the phone and work through those steps on your website than stay on hold.
2. Keep it simple
As you write your on hold script, you'll want to streamline your menu options. If you aren’t planning to update the content often, it’s a good idea to list titles on your extension list instead of names. Employees can change positions or leave the company, and you don’t want to confuse your callers.
3. Offer some education
One way to keep your on hold callers engaged is to give them a few fun factoids about your industry. For example, a doctor’s office might share trivia about the human body, like this: "Did you know your taste buds are replaced every two weeks?" Or, maybe your company has a unique history. Do you annually give to a local cause? Are you away from the phone because every Wednesday is “team lunch” in your office? Sharing some more specific details about your company and the people who work with you can be a nice way to build stronger connections with your customers.
4.Watch the time
Brevity is a good goal to have when you’re leaving a message, but that’s not necessarily the case for your company recordings. You might actually be better off with a longer script for your on hold messages. Making your customers listen to a loop of repeat content can get boring fast. If you can, try to record more content than you think you’ll need for your standard on hold time.
5. Always give thanks
Naturally, you’ll also want to include friendly “thank you” messages throughout your recording. Speaking in a calm, clear voice and sincerely thanking your callers for waiting can help keep morale up for when your team is available to take the call. Quickly saying, “We appreciate your patience!” between sections will usually suffice. Talk as you would in real life to keep things more personal.
Need Help with Your On Hold Promotions?
Working with a local telecommunications or business phone company can give you the hands-on attention you need for creating your new on hold script. Switching to a VoIP system for better functionality is one place to start. Just be sure they can give you any training you might need for the new process. Then you can have a truly smart on hold setup!
If you’re here in the Treasure Valley, our team at Enhanced Telecommunications and Data would be happy to help you get started. We can arrange your phone system so you can really make the most of your on hold time. These tips go better when you have the right tech! We also serve clients throughout Idaho and Eastern Oregon, so if you have other questions about your company’s phone systems, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (208) 947-3900.
