Messages on hold

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Messages on hold (MOH) refers to the business practice of playing a personally scripted and produced audio message to fill the silence that would be heard by telephone callers that have been placed on hold. It is especially common in situations involving customer service.

1 Key Factors and Benefits Of Messages on Hold
2 Equipment and formats
3 Other Benefits
4 See also

[edit] Key Factors and Benefits Of Messages on Hold

70% of all callers are put on hold
The average hold time for customers is 43 seconds
You will experience an 80% reduction in caller hang-ups with ON HOLD ADVERTISING
88% of callers prefer messages on hold to all other options
16% of callers make purchases based on an on hold offer
34% of callers who hang-up will not call back
Keep customers on the line 3 times longer with on hold messages then "dead air" or "background music"
Penalties and fines up to $4000 may apply for breach of Copyright Act for using radio or cd's over your phone system
PROFESSIONAL – you can control what callers hear and it sounds professional
Your clients will spend hundreds of hours each year listening to our professional ON HOLD message

[edit] Equipment and formats

Most MOH systems are integrated into a businesses telephone system via an audio jack on the telephone equipment labeled "MOH". The source of the message is usually from a specifically designed MOH Unit, CDs or digital files such as MP3, but some older systems may still use cassette tapes (sometimes employing endless-loops), or reel-to-reel tape players.

[edit] Other Benefits

Benefits of music on hold may include the following, if properly configured:

Assures the caller that their call is still connected
Assures the caller that their call is important and will be answered as soon as possible
Entertains the caller, which gives the impression that the time spent on hold is shorter than what it really is
Informs the caller of his place in queue and the approximate length of time until his call will be taken
Informs the caller of information about the company, such as store hours, locations, or services
Informs the caller about promotions or new products
Informs the caller about options to leave the on-hold system, such as pressing a key to leave a voicemail or to be transferred to a different department