1 What you tell your caller on-hold is equally important than how it sounds. Not all on-hold companies are created equal. The on-hold program needs to create trust and confidence and clearly convey the message that your company is the best choice. Stay away from puffery and platitudes that make you sound like everyone else. In most cases you only have 20-30 seconds to tell your caller why you are better than your competitor.

2 Did you know that playing music on your telephone’s hold system is considered commercial broadcast? Did you know that it is illegal to play music, even the radio, without paying the applicable licensing and royalty fees to those writers, composers and musicians who created the music? By federal law businesses are required to pay annual royalties to play music on their hold system. You could pay a hefty penalty if you are caught not paying when you play. So when selecting an on-hold provider to produce your custom on-hold program be sure they provide in writing their music licensing policy so you are protected.

3 Think twice before you decide on how many times you should update your script throughout the year. Many customers bite off more than they can handle. Sometimes less is best. How many times you should update your on-hold program is based on how often information changes about your products and services and what kind of audience you have listening to the messages throughout the year. In other words, do you have the same customers calling in each month placing orders or are your customers only calling in once or twice a year or even less frequently? The answers to these two questions will tell you how often you should change your script throughout the year.