How VoIP Can Enhance “Music on Hold”

VoIP technology has transformed the way businesses communicate, both internally and externally. Today’s VoIP systems boost a huge variety of new features that would not have been possible on legacy PBX boxes. These services have also improved older features like voicemail and faxing, bringing them into the 21st century alongside other digital tools.

Music to Your Customers’ Ears

Most people don’t pay any attention to the music that plays when you are put on hold. You can’t blame the listeners though – most hold music is forgettable at best and annoying at worst. But the very same music can enhance your brand image, improve sales or calm irate customers calling your support teams. All that is possible if you select the right music, message or sound to enhance the customer experience.

The music on hold feature is not exactly new to enterprise phone systems. Companies have been using it for many decades. However, today’s hosted VoIP services enhance this feature and offer clients many more options to choose from. While legacy PBX tools did offer music on hold, you were limited in what you could do with it. You could select from a handful of music loops or at best, record your own track for playback. With VoIP, you can do so much more.

What You Can Do with Music on Hold

VoIP services offer a multitude of options for music on hold. You can choose between stock soundtracks, upload your own, record specific messages for different numbers, and even switch them out according to the time of day or week. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the music callers hear while waiting.

Businesses would do well to take advantage of these options. Selecting the right music can enhance your brand image and project professionalism. At the same time, the wrong soundtrack can tarnish your brand. The music that a bank or credit card company prefers might be completely inappropriate for a sporting goods brand. VoIP gives you granular options in this regard – you can set the order of different tracks or randomize them for callers. You can even set the playlist to pick up where it left off the last time to minimize the probability that a caller hears the same music over and over again.

Just because the feature is called music on hold doesn’t mean you only have to play music. Quite a few companies use this opportunity to play recorded messages that are useful to callers while they wait. You can record a variety of messages for different numbers according to the purpose of the caller. If the caller wants the sales department, the on hold message could inform them of current special offers, sales or the address of the nearest store. For the service department, you might want to use soothing messages that assure the customer of their place in line or the approximate wait time until they reach a service agent.

Keeping Your Callers Happy with Music on Hold

The first thing you have to do is make sure that you select the right audio for your organization. Every customer touch point – and that includes being put on hold – adds to your overall brand image. Does your company project a fun image, a sporty persona or a serious one? This will affect your choice of audio. Callers to a hospital might not appreciate a loud soundtrack that blasts their ears after all!

Just as the music should be appropriate for your brand, it should also be suitable for callers. Customers might call your service department for help with issues, your sales department for inquiries or your accounts department for billing problems. The last thing you want to do with frustrated customers is to raise their heartbeat! But a bright, peppy song might be just the ticket for your sales team. Since VoIP allows you to set different audio for various phone numbers, use it to your benefit.

Every organization tries to minimize hold times but sometimes there’s nothing you can do except put the caller on hold while the agent transfers them to the correct department. Customer support teams have to put callers on hold when call volume is high, especially during an emergency or other widespread issues. But doesn’t mean that you have to force callers to listen to the same song on repeat for several minutes. Make sure to choose several songs or audio tracks to minimize repetition.

The music you play while the caller is on hold can serve more than the simple purpose of keeping them entertained as they wait. You can use the opportunity to keep your callers informed, soothe angry customers or generate sales. Dig into the options your VoIP vendor offers and tailor the experience to your brand, customers, and specific situation.