From classical to jazz to good ol’ rock n’ roll, there’s a style of music for every listener. So what type of music should you play to callers placed on hold?
First, let’s examine whether it even matters. We know that what people hear on your hold button shapes perceptions about your company, and we know that music can touch the heart and soul. As marketing guru Roy H. Williams says, “Where the heart leads, the mind will follow.” (http://www.wizardofads.com)
I found an amazing post related to music on hold experiences, including one person who claims the choice of hold music caused a significant change of plans!
"My company asked me to move to Texas about 7 years ago. I agreed, reluctantly. A couple of days into the process, I called a realtor to discuss putting my house on the market. She put me on hold, and the muzak that played in the background was very very sad. I started thinking about how I really didn't want to uproot my family and drag them to a different state. By the time the realtor was back on the line, I was so depressed about the whole thing I told her I couldn't talk about it right now and that I would call her back. I never did. I told my boss I no longer wanted to relocate, and I stayed put."
Powerful stuff, that music.
Recently there was a bit of blog chatter about the choice of on hold music for a conference call between the President of the U.S. and about 1,000 Rabbis. Washington Jewish Week reports, “Eyebrows were also raised by the choice of hold music that played to rabbis before the call began. "First mistake," [Rabbi Jack] Moline tweeted, as he waited for the call to begin. "Music on hold is 'Deutschland uber Alles,' " a classical German anthem, the lyrics to which in part say, "Preserve and protect our Kaiser, our land." (The music was chosen by the company carrying the conference call, not the White House or the RAC.)
So the wrong music on hold can cause trouble, but the take-away here is that it gets noticed and even causes people to talk (or change their plans).
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
New Easy On Hold Site Launches
The new www.easyonhold.com website is up, and offers helpful new features. Here are just a few.
New: Live Chat. More and more, web visitors are interested in "IM" help, and the new Live Help feature at easyonhold.com will provide a quick and easy interface for chatting with Easy On Hold staff.
New: Folder hierarchy. With a growing site with an increasing quantity of helpful pages, we have integrated a new navigation system that takes you into categories, such as products and services, how music on hold works, and samples. within products and services you'll find groups such as music on hold, on hold equipment and voice recordings.
New: Samples by industry. We've added a sample player that lets users browse industry categories, then select actual Easy On Hold productions for auditioning. This will let visitors get a few good ideas on how to make on hold time more valuable.
New: Start A Script form. An easy to fill in form lets both existing clients and new customers request a new Easy On Hold production. Check boxes and drop down lists make the process quick. A confirmation email is sent upon submitting the form.
New: Diagrams and installation help. With each piece of equipment pictured, the new site shows a plug in diagram to help convey how on hold message players plug in to your phone system.
In the new utilities area in the upper right corner of each page, you'll find About, Contact, Support, Start New Script, MY ACCOUNT login. Tip: lots of product manuals, articles and links to helpful websites reside on the support page, along with a form for submitting a trouble ticket, should you ever want technical help with your music on hold system.
That's www.easyonhold.com. It's new, so check it out.
New: Live Chat. More and more, web visitors are interested in "IM" help, and the new Live Help feature at easyonhold.com will provide a quick and easy interface for chatting with Easy On Hold staff.
New: Folder hierarchy. With a growing site with an increasing quantity of helpful pages, we have integrated a new navigation system that takes you into categories, such as products and services, how music on hold works, and samples. within products and services you'll find groups such as music on hold, on hold equipment and voice recordings.
New: Samples by industry. We've added a sample player that lets users browse industry categories, then select actual Easy On Hold productions for auditioning. This will let visitors get a few good ideas on how to make on hold time more valuable.
New: Start A Script form. An easy to fill in form lets both existing clients and new customers request a new Easy On Hold production. Check boxes and drop down lists make the process quick. A confirmation email is sent upon submitting the form.
New: Diagrams and installation help. With each piece of equipment pictured, the new site shows a plug in diagram to help convey how on hold message players plug in to your phone system.
In the new utilities area in the upper right corner of each page, you'll find About, Contact, Support, Start New Script, MY ACCOUNT login. Tip: lots of product manuals, articles and links to helpful websites reside on the support page, along with a form for submitting a trouble ticket, should you ever want technical help with your music on hold system.
That's www.easyonhold.com. It's new, so check it out.
Using Your mp3 Player for Music On Hold Playback? We Don't Recommend It
Using Your Nano is a no-no, when it comes to music on hold.
I spoke with my friend Doug today. You know Doug, the insurance guy. His office has tried radio on hold, tape players, CD players and iPods. None seemed to work very well, and at the end of the day his office still is without music on hold and wasted time and effort with sub-pro solutions. In this post, I'd like to focus on the pitfalls of using consumer grade mp3 player, such as the iPod Nano, for your hold music source.
Using a consumer-grade mp3 player as a source for your on-hold music may appear to be a cost-effective and simple solution. But here's what you can expect:
Not Enough Audio Oomph for On-Hold Playback
Personal mp3 players were designed with low amplification output (60 milowatts) to conserve battery power. You don't detect the low output, however, because your headphones are high-efficiency and make the audio sound great in your ears.
Your phone hold system, however, may require more amplification than your headphones do. And since the only place to get an audio feed out of your mp3 player is through the headphone jack, the audio signal often doesn't give your hold system what it needs for proper volume in your phones. (Note: we have found some iPod users who disagree, and find just enough volume to pull it off...)
Battery Trouble
Anyone who's owned an iPod Shuffle for a year or so can tell you: those little internal batteries don't last long, and replacing them costs about as much as the player itself.
You can run your personal mp3 player from an AC outlet using a USB converter (which adds cost) but there's no way around battery trouble. And if you ever have a power failure with your mp3 player plugged into an outlet, it won't turn itself back on when the power resumes. Your on-hold could be off for weeks before you notice. Yes, you can get by for a little while, but you'll need to weigh the costs vs. benefits of avoiding a professional solution.
Monitor Speaker
With a commercial grade player, the external speaker and board controls allow you to quickly check your on-hold message to make sure everything's a-okay, and test it easily, too, when you load the message. With an iPod, you have to call your phone system and get placed on hold. That's a hassle.
I recommend...
A professional music on hold player meant for 24/7 on-hold playback. It has the proper amplification, A/C power and controls for ideal operability and excellent audio results.
We are a dealer for both the Nel-Tech and Pro-Digital USB players. Each comes with an excellent warranty of at least 3 years. Each includes memory drive, a built-in external monitor speaker, a built-in amplifier for extra oomph, and the unit runs on standard AC power.
If dependability, quality and your time are important to you, make the smart choice and choose the right player for the right job.
This post contributed by Tim Brown, who has more 30 years experience in radio, recording and live sound. He can be reached at: tim@easyonhold.com.
I spoke with my friend Doug today. You know Doug, the insurance guy. His office has tried radio on hold, tape players, CD players and iPods. None seemed to work very well, and at the end of the day his office still is without music on hold and wasted time and effort with sub-pro solutions. In this post, I'd like to focus on the pitfalls of using consumer grade mp3 player, such as the iPod Nano, for your hold music source.
Using a consumer-grade mp3 player as a source for your on-hold music may appear to be a cost-effective and simple solution. But here's what you can expect:
Not Enough Audio Oomph for On-Hold Playback
Personal mp3 players were designed with low amplification output (60 milowatts) to conserve battery power. You don't detect the low output, however, because your headphones are high-efficiency and make the audio sound great in your ears.
Your phone hold system, however, may require more amplification than your headphones do. And since the only place to get an audio feed out of your mp3 player is through the headphone jack, the audio signal often doesn't give your hold system what it needs for proper volume in your phones. (Note: we have found some iPod users who disagree, and find just enough volume to pull it off...)
Battery Trouble
Anyone who's owned an iPod Shuffle for a year or so can tell you: those little internal batteries don't last long, and replacing them costs about as much as the player itself.
You can run your personal mp3 player from an AC outlet using a USB converter (which adds cost) but there's no way around battery trouble. And if you ever have a power failure with your mp3 player plugged into an outlet, it won't turn itself back on when the power resumes. Your on-hold could be off for weeks before you notice. Yes, you can get by for a little while, but you'll need to weigh the costs vs. benefits of avoiding a professional solution.
Monitor Speaker
With a commercial grade player, the external speaker and board controls allow you to quickly check your on-hold message to make sure everything's a-okay, and test it easily, too, when you load the message. With an iPod, you have to call your phone system and get placed on hold. That's a hassle.
I recommend...
A professional music on hold player meant for 24/7 on-hold playback. It has the proper amplification, A/C power and controls for ideal operability and excellent audio results.
We are a dealer for both the Nel-Tech and Pro-Digital USB players. Each comes with an excellent warranty of at least 3 years. Each includes memory drive, a built-in external monitor speaker, a built-in amplifier for extra oomph, and the unit runs on standard AC power.
If dependability, quality and your time are important to you, make the smart choice and choose the right player for the right job.
This post contributed by Tim Brown, who has more 30 years experience in radio, recording and live sound. He can be reached at: tim@easyonhold.com.
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