“Music on Hold” Tips for Your Business

Sometimes putting customers on hold is your only option. However, this experience doesn’t have to be painful for your callers. Incorporate these tips to help create a better customer journey.

Keep Your On Hold Music Simple

Ever wonder why the music you hear on hold sounds terrible? Part of the problem may be the complexity of the music. Phone systems are designed for the human voice and have very, very low fidelity. This is in part due to phone systems trying to suppress any noise detected as background noise. Even with new technology, such as smartphones, musical choices often sound very garbled. Mobile phones have additional factors affecting the sound quality, including the number of transfers between cell towers. Sometimes, you may be able to notice a variance in the sound as your call passes from tower to tower. After numerous studies to try and create the best on hold experiences, it was found that the simpler the music (and the fewer the instruments), the better the sound.

simple music

Match Your Brand

Choosing simple music is only the start. Callers to your company are also expecting your on hold messaging to match your brand. For example, if you call a large baby supply store, you are likely expecting calm, soothing music rather than rock and roll with explicit lyrics. If your company is hip, your callers will likely be delighted with trendier music. If you’re running a musical instrument store, you’ll likely want to highlight one or more of the musical sounds from your instrument inventory.

Keep the Customer in Mind

Consider the mood of your callers. A complaint line playing heavy metal music might make your already aggravated customers more frustrated. But, if everyone is calling to claim prizes from a recent contest, a more upbeat tune might be completely appropriate.

Getting your music selection right can be a great component to a well-developed customer experience. Of course, for this to happen, you have to have the customer in mind from start to finish. Your on-hold messaging can be a fun and memorable way to make another good impression with your customers.