Enhanced Music-on-Hold with VoIP

The ultra-capable VoIP technology of today has changed the way that companies communicate internally, as well as with other external parties. With all the enhanced new features available through VoIP, it is possible to accomplish a great deal more than your old legacy phone system could ever have hoped to achieve. Even old standby features like faxing and voicemail have been thoroughly modernized and enhanced under VoIP technology, and some of the newer features are even more impressive.

Consider Music On Hold Possibilities

One of the features that most people pay very little attention to is the music which plays when you call a business and you’re placed on hold.  No one would really thinks much about on-hold music. Savvy  business owners understand that customized on-hold music can be strategically very valuable.

By choosing the right type of music to represent your company, you can soothe irate customers, enhance the image of your company brand, and possibly even improve sales. By improving your customers’ experience while waiting on hold, there are any number of positive benefits which can accrue to your business.

While this can’t be said to be a new feature made available by VoIP, today’s VoIP systems have definitely enhanced the experience, and made many more listening options available to companies. Limitations of the past have been completely overcome, and you can now choose from a number of music loops, or even record your own track so that it can be played to callers.

Music On Hold Options

Today you have far more options for the kind of music you can choose, and what you can do with it, to enhance customer experiences through VoIP. Stock soundtracks can be used at your discretion, you can upload your own personal tracks, you can record discrete messages and assign them to different numbers, and you can even play different music at different times on different days.  At VoiceNEXT we can custom tailor the right music for your business.

The only real limitation to the music which can be played is your imagination. If you’ve never stopped to consider the significance of music on hold, now is the time to do so. Choosing the right music can project a perception of professionalism to all your clients, and it can enhance your brand recognition at the same time.

Choosing the wrong kind of music to play while customers are on hold can work against you, and can actually hurt your brand image. VoIP provides you with options for randomizing music tracks played to callers. You can also set a specific order for music tracks to be played.

You can also establish a playlist which resumes where it left off when last playing, which is a tactic that will reduce the possibility of a caller hearing the same music twice. You even have the option of creating music on hold which isn’t really music – you may also want to play a recorded message which might be helpful to callers who are on hold.

A number of different messages could be recorded and matched to the purpose of any given call. As an example, someone calling the sales department could be put on hold while listening to a message about special discounts or other offers currently in effect. A call which is requesting service might benefit by hearing a message played which informs them of their place in line, or about the approximate duration of the waiting period before their call gets through.

Satisfying Customers With Music On Hold

The main consideration when choosing music on hold to play for your customers is selecting the right audio presentation. Keep in mind that all customer touch points contribute to your general brand image, including when customers get put on hold. In situations like these, do you want your brand image to be more serious or more fun, or are you possibly looking to present a sporty image of your company?

You do have to consider more than how appropriate the music is for your brand image though, because your selected music also has to be appropriate for your callers. Your customers may be calling for any one of several different reasons, e.g. a billing question, customer service, or sales inquiries.

When a customer is upset, the last thing you want to do is raise their intensity level by playing high-energy music. In cases like these, you’d be much better advised to play some kind of calm, soothing music which might help to relax your callers. At other times, you may want to play upbeat, peppy songs for callers who are interested in hearing about sales offers or discounts.

Of course, no one likes being put on hold for a long period of time.  Do your best to minimize wait times for your callers. In many cases it’s impossible for all callers to reach their intended parties immediately, simply because of the volume of such calls. When this happens, you should take advantage of the fact, and match up the kind of music on hold which is best suited to the caller’s mood, so that their experience while on hold will be maximized.