Placing a customer on hold is risky business. If
their phone rings while they are on hold, what do you think their reaction will be?
Regardless to whether or not they have something to listen to, the chances of them hanging
up is still great. Abandoned calls are the byproduct of a customer left on hold too long
with nothing to listen to.
Most Companies prefer
some sort of entertainment for their customers who are on hold. Keeping your customers on
hold is sometimes a necessary evil, you REALLY need something to keep their
interest until you can take care of them.
This
brings us to another dilemma - MARKETING VS
MUSIC ON HOLD. Some companies simply say, “I’ll just hook a radio up to my
telephone system and that will be that.” BUT WAIT! Did you know that it is ILLEGAL
to play commercial music through telephone systems and not pay LICENSING FEES to ASCAP
(American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)?
From a conversation with an ASCAP Representative, the
current fees for playing commercial music via radio, cassette, or CD player is
$181.00/YR for phone systems with 1-10 Trunks/Lines, $360.00/YR for phone systems with
11-50 Trunks/Lines, and $544.00/YR for a system with 51-100 Trunks/Lines. The cost
continues to rise from there on. HOWEVER, the costs may be regionally specific.
Marketing on Hold allows you to
pitch your company’s products, services and specials while your client is in
that dreaded *Hold Zone*.
Your customer only
hears what you want them to hear!
Let's suppose your client or a potential customer is on hold
and you are using a radio for Music on Hold. What if,
while your client or potential customer is waiting, they hear a commercial message for the
same service/product you sell, but for 30% less? Dum-De-Dum-Dum!
Now you have provided your client or potential customer with
your competitor’s Name, Address, Phone Number, Web address, and worst of all - their Pricing! |
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Today’s playback units
are digital and for the most part, maintenance free. No tapes to replace, and they re-load
automatically in the event of a power outage (Unless, like me, you have everything on a
UPS). Prices for the digital playback units are nominal (if you purchase the unit
outright), and are dependent on the amount of storage/playback time necessary, and the
extravagance of the unit.
Custom recorded message productions can also be pricey if you
want extremely detailed messages. If your goal is to reduce the number of abandoned calls,
and inform your customers at the same time, the cost can be broken down to less than 50
cents per day!
Whether you choose Marketing or Music on Hold for
your on hold information or entertainment, one thing is certainly very clear - To your
clients and potential customers - When on hold - Silence is not Golden!
ARE YOU COVERED?
Do you have an insurance policy on your
phone system? In our industry they are called "Maintenance Contracts" and they
can SAVE YOU MONEY not to mention aggravation and the chance of being price gouged
because your system is down. Insure yourself today! |
