1. What’s the most annoying thing you can think of hearing? Okay, that’s what you would not want in your on-hold production.

2. Humor is subjective. One person’s knee slapper is another person’s eye roller. For example: knock knock… Who’s there?… Orange… Orange who?–well, you know the rest. Using humor on hold is a fine art. Of course, we do have some rather amusing people on staff; but we are careful to make sure our version of humor passes the two-or-three-proofreaders test.

3. And speaking of humor, we’ve had requests to use snippets from comedians’ CDs on hold. We cannot do this. It’s a no-no. There are such things as “copyright issues” and we don’t want to get fined on your behalf. We love you, but no…

4. Which leads to the next point. Many of the COH staff members are huge music lovers. So we can appreciate that you may be the world’s biggest Elvis fan or that you think Prince would sound “cool” on hold. But we cannot use their music for your production. It’s not us, it’s them. They own the rights to their music and we don’t. You probably wouldn’t want to pay what they would charge to let you use it…not to mention the massive yards of red tape you’d have to go through to get permission. We subscribe to two music libraries with hundreds of selections to choose from. We pay the music rights fees, and can find just about any style you have in mind. We even have disco if you are so inclined.

5. Of course, we have had clients request to have no music on their production–just the voicing. This leaves periods of silence as callers are on hold, which defeats the purpose of the whole on-hold thing. We want you to get your money’s worth, so please…use the music.

6. Have you ever had a friend who just won’t shut his or her trap? You know, they talk and talk and talk and… What happens when you are around them? You reach a point where you just quit listening. Your mind wanders. You start thinking “what was it I needed at the store? Oh yeah, trash bags. Did I remember to program the DVR for my show tonight? Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t notice the wrinkles in my shirt before I left the house. I hope no one else notices and thinks I’m a slob.” What does this have to do with being on hold? More than you might think. We recommend keeping each message in your production to no more than 30 seconds. Since most of us tune out after listening to someone talk and talk and talk, you’ll lose your listener if your individual messages are too long. Sort of like this paragraph.

7. Lists. Lists are good. Lists are helpful. Most of us use them. But do you really like listening to lists? We understand that our clients want to let their callers know about the many services they offer, their credentials, their products, etc. But in order to make the most of your on-hold messaging, we discourage turning them into lists. It goes along with point six, as people tend to tune them out.

8. Here’s a little exercise to try–read the following sentence aloud: Have you ever read a sentence aloud that was really long and had so many words that you barely had time to pause and take a breath, which made you feel really winded, and as you gasped for air you wondered if the sentence was going to end but it kept going on and on and then by the time you got to the end of it you forgot what the point was? Need a minute to catch your breath? When it comes to writing copy that will be read aloud, it’s important to keep sentences to a reasonable length. Our copy writers are mindful of this when writing copy for our clients. And it’s something to think about if you prefer to write your own copy. We don’t want our voice talent to pass out.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this informative little foray into the mechanics of crafting your on-hold messaging. Of course, we welcome your comments and suggestions as well, so feel free to send us your feedback.

1-800-832-4653 blog@commercialsonhold.com

By Drew Mercer

Commercials On Hold

Could you imagine operating a profitable chimney sweep business, or any other business for that matter, without a telephone? This may sound like a ridiculous question, yet in my discussions and experiences with prospects and clients around the country, I have encountered numerous businesses that are not managing their telephones in ways that will help grow their business.

Is the telephone the “lifeline” of your business?

Chances are, everything you do to market and advertise your business is geared toward getting that new prospect to call you. Many refer to the telephone as the “lifeline” of their business, a title justly earned… The telephone is literally where business comes to life. With this in mind, how you manage your telephone communications has a direct impact on your business’s profitability. In this article I’m going to show you how you can manage your telephones more effectively with multiple lines, especially if you also use on hold messages.

Let’s take an example of how telephone management impacts profitability:

Fred is concerned about the ‘charred’ stench coming from his chimney. Because Fred works full time, he turns to the yellow pages on his lunch-break to find a company that can help. On the first call, Fred gets an answering machine, but since there are several more companies to try, he doesn’t leave a message — He wants to complete his task right then! On the second call, the line is busy, so Fred goes to the next company on “the list.” The third business answers politely, learns Fred’s needs, addresses the solution, and schedules the job. Fred is thrilled… He can now cross this task off his list!

In the above example, one business managed its phones properly, and as a result, that business won a customer. The first business Fred called failed to win the business because a “live” person did not answer the phone. The obvious managerial solution here is to make sure all of your calls are answered by a “ live” person. More staff may be the solution, but not necessarily. For many small businesses using just one or two phone lines, it could simply mean adding another phone line or two and training the individual manning the phones to handle two or three calls at once. I’ll elaborate on this later.

The second best approach would probably involve utilizing a call service. Many businesses take advantage of this option when no one is available to answer the call and when all lines are busy. There are plenty of phone answering services to choose from. If you do not have a local service in mind, an Internet search for “Answering Service” will yield plenty of results. Most of these services offer immediate message forwarding to your phone or e-mail. For example, I recently investigated one company that came up toward the top of a Google search. Here’s what they charge: $89.95 per month buys 80 minutes of live operator time (600 minutes is just under $400/month). They follow your scripts and will contact you immediately by phone or email with messages.

A third way to ensure your customer reaches you is to have your calls forwarded to the field; however, this presents other issues such as poor cellular reception, lost calls, work interruptions, not being in a position to talk and take notes, etc. Remember, first impressions can make or break the sale. In reality, this is a common scenario for start-ups and small businesses. It costs money to have someone besides you answer the phone. Just keep in mind that the benefits to changing could far outweigh the cost!

Going back to my example of Fred looking for a chimney sweep, the second business Fred called failed to win the business simply because the line was busy. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the absolute worst thing that could happen when a new prospect is trying to reach a business, a busy signal is a TEN! This is probably no secret, but if you have prospects receiving busy signals, you are losing business. The first business at the very least had an answering machine, which enabled the caller to hear a voice from the business, possibly resulting in a message being left. Keep in mind that without an already-established relationship, there’s no customer loyalty, so the likelihood of a call-back is typically low, especially in highly competitive markets.

Some business owners I have spoken with have expressed mixed feelings about placing a caller on hold to receive another call. The character of these business owners is to be admired. They want to give the caller that is on the line their full attention and feel that placing a caller on hold creates an inconvenience and is perhaps disrespectful. However, there are ways to go about placing a caller ‘on hold’ that will benefit both your business AND your callers.

Small business phones and local telephone service generally allow up to four lines without the need for a phone system. Likewise, a good receptionist should be able to handle at least two, three or four lines. Here is how it is done:

Receptionist is on line 1 speaking with Caller A.

Caller B rings in on line 2.

Receptionist says “Caller A, would you mind holding just a moment. I apologize for the inconvenience, I will be right back.”

Receptionist picks up line 2, asks for the caller’s name, and says “Caller B, I am currently speaking with another client. Would you like to hold or do you prefer that I take your number and call you back shortly?” If the caller does not mind being placed on hold, the receptionist should say, “Thanks, may I get a quick phone number should you need to hang up?” Then, “Thanks so much, I will be back with you shortly.” This will take the pressure off of the receptionist as well as Caller B. More importantly, you have captured Caller B’s name AND number.

Receptionist places Caller B on hold and goes back to line 1, “Caller A, I am so sorry for the delay, where were we?” and picks back up with the conversation.

Caller C rings in on line 3.

Receptionist apologizes again to Caller A, places caller A on hold, picks up line 3, and says “Caller C, I am currently speaking with another client and have a caller on hold, would you like to wait on hold or can I get your number and call you right back?”

And so forth…

Receptionist finishes up with Caller A and picks up line 2, “Caller B, thank you so much for holding. How may I assist you today?”

In the above scenario, the receptionist saved two prospect call-ins, simply by changing the way the phones are handled. Had Caller B and C received an answering machine or busy signal, who knows if the business would have ever been contacted again.

Another key advantage to handling your calls in this fashion, is that you create opportunities to showcase your full range of products and services when callers are placed on hold. Think about it…When a caller is placed on hold, you have the undivided attention of the people most likely to do business with you. Why not let your callers know about more ways that you may be able to help? There’s no better group to cross-promote your services to, and no better time, because when your staff member returns to the line, they can answer any questions the caller may have. Caller A had the opportunity to listen to image-building information while on hold, which could have been the deciding factor to go ahead and order service. Caller B may have asked about other services heard about while on hold. Perhaps Caller B was originally interested in chimney cleaning only, but heard about a special on duct cleaning and inquired about it right then.

Aside from the obvious marketing advantage of using on hold messages, it’s also important to fill the silent void on hold, which quickly leads to hang-ups. The National Chimney Sweep Guild and many other associations and groups in contracting industries are highly supportive of on hold messaging. This is because customer response has shown that these messages sound professional, reassure callers and prove to be an effective means of advertising.

There’s an adage that says “To get something you’ve never had before, you have to do something you’ve never done before.” Changing how incoming calls are managed may take a little extra work, however the rewards will prove to be well worth the effort.

Commercials On Hold provides discounted service to NCSG members for as little as $37 per month, including customized messages updated regularly, and all of the necessary equipment. Visit www.commercialsonhold.com/ncsg or call Drew Mercer at (800) 832-4653 to learn more about how Commercials on Hold can help keep your services at the top of your customers’ minds while you have them on the line.

def: For full service clients, a complimentary production to use between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Consists of your most recent messages, remixed to include holiday greetings and holiday music.

We get questions all year long about the holiday greetings that appear at the end of some of the messages in our scripts. Worried clients call in
June and tell us they don’t think the 4th of July merits six months of “Happy Holidays!” Here’s the lowdown: A holiday remix is a little extra we
give you to play around the holiday season — typically from Thanksgiving to just after New Years Day. It is simply your current messages REmixed (or produced again) with “generic” holiday music and those messages you see on your script. We only send you your holiday remix with the production that will take you through November. So if you have annual service, you’ll get it with your yearly production — whether you receive it in May, December or any other month. If you have semi-annual service, you could get your holiday remix as early as June, that way you’ll have it if you want to start playing it in November.

We do get a number of questions about the holiday remix. Here are a couple of common ones, with answers:

Do I have to use it?
No. In fact, if you don’t even want us to send it to you, just tell us. We won’t force you.

How do I make sure I don’t download it early?
If you have a cassette, the side you want to download should face you when you place it in the player. With a CD, the holiday remix is track 2, your regular messages will be on track 1. If we e-mail you your productions, it will be labeled as an attachment. If you have a remote download, we’ll make sure the right message is downloaded at the right time.

What IS the right time?
We recommend either right before or right after Thanksgiving. Canadian clients and others outside of the U.S. may prefer to wait until the first of December. We highly recommend that you change back to your regular production in the first week or so of January and definitely before Easter.

Will someone remind us of when to change to our holiday messages and back again to the regular ones. Unfortunately we do not have the manpower to contact all of our clients the week before Thanksgiving to remind them. However we are pretty sure that if you are still playing your holiday remix in February one of your callers will happily bring it to your attention (They really do listen to these things you know!) Seriously though, the best way to remember to change the messages is to write it on your calendar or use whatever handy electronic device you rely on for the dates of other appointments, etc.

Do I have to have generic greetings? What about Merry Christmas or Happy Hannukah? Can I mention the Winter solstice? You are welcome to use whatever tidings you would like for your callers. We only ask that they be no longer than a sentence. We can also accommodate some specific holiday music requests. Just let us know if you want something special. We aim to please!

Is anything ever really free? Without getting too philosophical, we can say with some certainty that the holiday remix is free to our full-service clients. It’s our gift to you, and one of the ways we thank you for your continued business.

What if I want a whole holiday paragraph?
Okay, that may not be free. But ask us and we’ll see what we can arrange.

You wouldn’t think a little thing like a holiday remix, could inspire such a lengthy discussion, but it sometimes does. So if you have any additional questions or thoughts, or favorite (CLEAN) holiday wishes, send them our way. We’ll talk.

Every company is unique and in order to capture the essence of what sets you apart from the competition, we ask you to complete a profile sheet. This helps our copywriters determine the best approach for your messages.

It’s really helpful to us if you send this profile in with your order, so that we can get started on your proposed script. Here’s how it works: Once we receive the order and profile sheet, a copywriter will call the person you have designated to provide copy information. (This is referred to as the “script contact” on the order form.) During this introductory call, our copywriter will ask any questions they have about the profile and inquire if there are any other areas you would like to stress. This “interview” is designed to give you the opportunity to provide additional input. Within three business days after this introductory phone call, you will receive a proposed startup script. This is a wonderful opportunity to allow your staff to provide input. We encourage you to read the script aloud because it will give you a better feel for how it will sound when voiced. It will also help you to identify anything that may be missing or that might need to be modified.

After we get your feedback, we make any changes you suggest and send the script back for final approval. When you have approved your script, it is ready for production. At this point it is important that we have your voice and music preferences. This can be as simple as telling us you want a male or female voicer (or both) and your preferred style of music. Or you can visit our website, listen to samples, and choose specific voice talent and music. In either case, we guarantee your satisfaction, so if it doesn’t sound quite right once it’s mixed, we’ll make it right. In fact, at your request we will play your first production over the phone for your review. 

If you would prefer to preview and choose your own voice and music, please refer to the following:

VOICE SELECTIONS: You may choose one voice or alternating male and female voices for each production. We have 12 talented English speaking voicers to choose from, as well as one male Spanish voicer. We also offer a selection of Spanish taglines that may be added to your script at no charge. These are helpful if you would like to inform callers that you have Spanish speaking staff. For an additional fee, we provide full or partial customized Spanish scripts and can accommodate other special language needs as well. Just let us know what you have in mind.

You can preview samples of our VOICE TALENT at the following links.

Business & Industry:

http://www.commercialsonhold.com/pages/red/redvoices.htm

Dental & Medical:

http://www.commercialsonhold.com/pages/blu/bluvoices.htm

MUSIC SELECTIONS: Because of the vast amount of licensed music we offer, nearly all of our clients find it most convenient to select their music by indicating the style they prefer – such as easy listening, jazz, light jazz, classical, upbeat, tropical, country , etc. Then our studio experts go our extensive licensed music libraries and find appropriate tracks. If you prefer to find your own specific music, we will provide you directions for browsing our two comprehensive online licensed music libraries. Or, if you prefer, we will send you a CD with a wide selection of tracks from which to choose.

Occasionally we have clients ask us if they can hear the final production before they approve the script. Unfortunately, script changes are often more involved than music or voice changes, and often incur a “rewrite” fee if you choose to make changes after the script has been approved. Therefore, we encourage you to make every effort to ensure that you are happy with the script before it is voiced.

Please note that your player and/or production will ship within 10 business days of script approval, provided we have received your payment. To ensure your satisfaction, a member of our production team will follow up a few days later to make sure that you have everything you need and to see if you require help in plugging in the player.

At Commercials On Hold, we’ve spent many years streamlining this process to make it as easy as possible for our clients to enjoy top quality on hold messaging. We welcome your feedback, whether you are a new or longtime client.

1-800-832-4653 blog@commercialsonhold.com

What does USB mean?  USB refers to the slots in your computer where you can plug in USB Drives, also known as “thumb drives” “memory sticks” “flash drives” etc.  If you have never used one before, that’s OK because they are simple to use.

GETTING STARTED

(Keep in mind, we are available to walk you through any of these steps- Call 1-800-832-4653)

1.  Player will arrive via UPS.  Plug into phone system & power outlet.

2.  Included in the package will be a USB flash drive- bring that with you back to your computer.

3.  Look for the email from us with the audio file attached.  This is your on hold production.   Save the attached audio file to your desktop.

4.  Once the file is saved on your desktop, then plug the USB flash drive into your computer.  A box will pop up, remember the drive name, for example “D:” “E:” or “F:”  Then close the box.

5.  Click on “My Computer” then click on the appropriate drive.  A box should come up.  There will be 2 existing files in the box.  Delete these files.

6.  Shrink down the box if necessary so that you can also see the audio file that you saved on the desktop.  Now hover the mouse over the audio file, click once and simultaneously drag the audio file into the box.  A popup should tell you that the files are being copied to the drive.

7. When the copying is done (should only take a few seconds), remove the USB flash drive from your computer and take it to the player.  Plug the cartridge into the side of the player.

Your messages are now updated!

Questions, Comments?

800-832-4653  blog@commercialsonhold.com

AT&T REPORTS:

• An estimated 70% of business callers are put on-hold.
• An estimated 60% of business callers put on-hold will hang up without messages & music on hold.
• An estimated 30% of these callers don’t call back!

A NATIONAL STUDY PUBLISHED BY NORTH AMERICAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION REPORTS:

• Callers with SILENCE-ON-HOLD will abandon their calls in less than one minute; 90% hang up within 40 seconds.
• Callers with MUSIC-ON-HOLD will stay on the line 30 seconds longer than with only silence.
• Callers with INFORMATION-ON-HOLD will stay on the line for up to 3 minutes longer.
• US WEST COMMUNICATIONS FOUND THAT INFORMATION-ON-HOLD RESULTS IN:
• 40% increase in retention of callers on-hold
• 15% increase in inquiries
• 12% increase in requests for products and services mentioned on-hold

MORE ON-HOLD FACTS:

• Telemarketing Magazine – “Over 70% of business callers are put on-hold…”
• OfficeTeam Survey – “The average executive spends 17 minutes per day on-hold…”
• CNN Survey – “The average person spends 60 hours per year on-hold…”
• CNN Survey – “Without music or messages, 60% of those on-hold will hang up and 30% won’t call back…”
• Cellular Marketing Magazine – “Over 85% of callers prefer on-hold messages over silence…”
• Telemarketing Magazine – “Surveys show that 15% to 20% of callers make purchases based on information they heard on-hold…”

Questions or comments?

1-800-832-4653

blog@commercialsonhold.com

Thanks for stopping by the COH Blog!

It is in these future pages that the staff at COH plans to address one of the most critical challenges facing nearly every organization in existence…

Reaching Your Audience

No matter what type of work you do, the chances are your success will to an extent be measured by how well you reach your audience. With many forms of advertising, there is a HUGE question mark when it comes to reach. If an ad is placed in the yellow pages or on TV, who really knows how many good prospects caught it. The same goes for outdoor advertising, magazines, newspaper, and most other forms of advertising.

BUT there is (at least) one major exception: On Hold Messages. Once you consider, you’ll agree… using messages on hold, you reach 100% of the callers your organization places on hold. Every time, Every one, Very measurable… And they are nearly all good prospects because they are ALL people who called you! Now, all you need is the right message content…

So the purpose of this blog? We have numerous success stories, tips, tricks, and suggestions to share. There are also plenty of topics and trends in the industry that can be explored in further detail here.

We welcome your comments, suggestions!

800-832-4653 * blog@commercialsonhold.com

‘On Hold’ Messaging for Multi-Location Organizations

Since introducing the concept of messages on hold in 1982, Commercials On Hold has remained on the cutting edge within the industry, providing professionally scripted and voiced productions of the highest quality, as well as the latest and most advanced technology available.

Now, thanks to a simple appliance that enables hands-free, rapid updates via the Internet, using customized on hold messages within multi-location organizations is more effective than ever before.  You now have the power to literally implement the marketing ideas you have today in all of your locations tomorrow, whether you have 5 locations or 5000!

INTERNET PLAYER – The “NET 7000” by Premier Technologies

This digital on hold player is a small appliance that connects to the on-site LAN and phone system. It utilizes Port 80 for firewall-safe updates. It retrieves production updates automatically via the Internet from a remote server. Message updates are quick, hands-free, and near simultaneous for all locations. Commercials On Hold is able to monitor each player remotely to ensure proper functionality.

DOWNLOAD SPEC SHEET – NET7000

FULL SERVICE INCLUDES –

Consultation & Copywriting: Each of our copywriters possesses a journalism degree and develops on hold messages full time. Each is seasoned in creating effective multi-branded messages. One-on-one consultation, research, group collaboration, writing, and editing of your messages is included.

Choice of Voice Talent: Listen and you will agree…Our network of 12 professional broadcast voices is arguably the very best in the industry and includes some of the most in-demand talent internationally.

Choice of Licensed Background Music: We are tapped into several audio libraries, meaning you have literally thousands of tracks to choose from, or simply tell us your preferences. Jingles are welcome.

State-of-the-Art Digital Equipment: We provide only top of the line digital players. We fully maintain the equipment. If a player malfunctions for any reason, we will overnight a replacement.

Customer Service & Technical Support: Contact us and you will reach a live person who can help you typically in 20 seconds or less. We recognize that your satisfaction is critical to our success.

Quick Turnaround: We operate on strict deadlines, have 3 studios, and an in-house copywriting team. Plus, 4 of our voicers are in-house. And chances are, if you need something super quickly, we can round up the resources to get it done.

TEST OUR SERVICE FOR FREE!

We are so confident you will experience immediate benefits and want to keep our service that we invite you test our service with no obligation at several locations for a trial period of 60 to 90 days. Call today for a customized demo CD and a quote based on your needs, and ask about testing our service for FREE!

1-800-832-4653

www.commercialsonhold.com

If you have been thinking about switching to VoIP, here is some information to consider. In case you didn’t know, VoIP is the acronym for Voice -over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.

There are two major reasons to switch to VoIP: lower cost and increased functionality. The single biggest advantage of an IP phone system is that any and all locations on a LAN or WAN can get the benefits of having a common office phone system, including extension dialing, seamless call transfers, and other features.

Of course, with these advantages come some disadvantages, related to service during a power outage, emergency calls, and quality / reliability. During a power outage, a regular land line phone remains in service, this is not possible with VoIP phones unless there is a battery backup or generator used. Another concern is emergency 911 calls. Traditional phone equipment can trace your location. With VoIP, there is currently no way to determine where your internet phone call is originating from. This system can also have problems with sound quality and reliability. It is estimated that by the end of 2007 most of the kinks will be worked out and VoIP will receive more widespread consumer acceptance.

With all this information, you may be asking, “if I switch to VoIP, do I still need Commercials On Hold?” — and the answer is “yes.” Having a VoIP phone system just means the phone service is delivered differently and the phone system is software-based and connects to your data network.

Instead of sending a digital player to play your production, we will simply email the production to you in MP3 format and you can download it on to your VoIP phone system. In some cases, keeping external equipment that streams the on hold audio may be the better option, should the system be unable to stream (loop) the audio.

Some of our VoIP clients are now programming their customized on hold messages by department or by location, in order to maximize their return. We create the productions and email the audio files or place them on an .ftp site for easy download. For other clients, the service typically works the same way as in the past, only the audio may be delivered differently.

If you have any questions about how messages & music on hold works with VoIP, please contact us.

1-800-832-4653

blog@commercialsonhold.com