In my role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for On Hold Company, I hear story after story of service failure in our industry.
On hold messaging isn’t new and providing good service isn’t rocket science. But as I talk to potential customers, this is an issue that continues to come up. Specifically, there are four areas where companies often let their customers down.
1: Failure to be proactive
Marketing managers have a lot on their plate. In fact, they often have so many tasks demanding their attention that it’s tempting to put on hold messaging on auto-pilot. But when this happens, it’s easy to forget to change the on hold message and to overlook the integration of on hold with other marketing efforts.
At On Hold Company, we don’t let that happen.
We use an activity database to manage each customer’s message schedule. We set reminders of when – and how – we should contact customers. And we call each customer at least once per quarter just to get placed on hold. We listen to their message to ensure quality, volume level and content.
When appropriate, we call our customers and suggest that it’s time to record a message update. Then we do our homework to learn what’s currently happening in the company so that we can offer creative solutions to their marketing challenges.
We don’t tell customers they have to change their message. But we are proactive in letting them know that we are thinking about them and want to help keep their on hold messages integrated with their current marketing campaigns.
We’re proactive about on hold messaging so that our customers don’t have to be.
2: Failure to keep pace with current technology
A potential customer called me recently to request a cassette tape of music for their current system. I told them, “we can do that, but we can do so much more.” Today’s technology has advanced way beyond the cassette tape. And this is to the customer’s advantage.
For example, this particular company has 200 locations. Can you imagine the potential service failures involved in mailing a cassette tape to 200 locations and getting 200 employees to stop what they’re doing, go find the phone room (usually hidden in a remote closet) and locate the cassette player? There are so many variables here that you’re set up to fail before you begin.
At On Hold Company, we’re all about current technology. We offer our customers an internet-based system with an open port on a network. We run fire cables from our box to the network. No one has to wait for a physical product that has to be installed. It’s done remotely. The production team schedules the message, sends it through the internet and in 60 seconds your new on hold message is up and running.
3: Failure of creativity
Companies spend 90% of their marketing budget to get people to call them.
Unfortunately, the on hold message is often a bland blurb with generic music behind it.
If you’re going to hold your customer’s attention – and business – your message has to be better than that.
At On Hold, we look at our customers’ websites, banner messages, direct mail campaigns, radio advertising as well as keywords and phrases used in their marketing materials. Then we work to make sure that the on hold message is not only creative, but works in tandem with other marketing efforts. We help drive customers to the company website. We integrate messages with social media. Our focus is to make sure that our customers are consistently applying their messages across all marketing touch points, and that the messages are targeted, creative and effective.
That’s what you get when you work with us.
4: Failure on a human level
Providing ‘insanely good service’ isn’t rocket science. But it’s a problem in our industry.
I recently heard of an instance where a marketing manager waited two weeks for a call-back from their on hold messaging provider. It’s unfortunate, but in today’s business world simply doing what you should do makes you stand out. At On Hold Company, if someone calls us, they get a phone call back. They get their questions answered. They get their requests fulfilled.
Insanely great service means we provide attention to details. We deliver on our promises. And we do it all with a smile.
At On Hold Company, service failures are unacceptable. It’s our business to create service successes. Every time.
