What are your customers listening to while they’re on hold? Is the music, message or silence setting your customer up to become irritated or angry? According to a study conducted by AT&T, on average, 7 out of 10 callers are put on hold. This means there is an opportunity to communicate and engage your customer with a well-crafted on-hold message.

When writing a script for your on-hold message, it is always important to ask yourself “what am I trying to communicate?” Hopefully, your customer will only be on hold for a short amount of time to think about which messages you want to communicate first.

It can be a little bit daunting to start with, but that’s ok. We’ll guide you through what makes a great customer experience while placed on hold.

  1. Thank the customer for their patience

This is an obvious one but is continuously overlooked. No one likes being put on hold because time is valuable. It’s important to acknowledge that their time is valuable and that you’re grateful they’re using their time to wait for you. You could say something like:

Thank you for your patience. We understand your time is valuable. A team member will be available to take your call shortly.

  1. Add value to their wait

Depending on your business, a customer might be waiting to place an order or inquire about your product or service. You can use the time they’re on hold to add value by letting them know about any special offers you have going. It’s also a great time to let them know about any new products or services.

Did you know if you purchase one XYZ you can get another one for half price? This offer is for a limited time only, ask one of our team members about it today. 

  1. Educate your customers about your product, service or business

Another way to add value is to educate customers about something to do with your business. You could tell them exciting facts, explain how something works or let them know your interesting origin story.

This would be a great way to address any pain points with customers in the business. For example, if you need customers to fill out a form or if there is a task they need to do that will help them with the enquiry quicker, now is the time to let them know not in 5 minutes when they are becoming slightly irritable.

  1. Answer frequently asked questions

Are you answering the phone ten times a day to tell people what time you are open? Put it in your on-hold message. Let them know answers to common questions such as opening hours, prices, address or shipping wait times. Whatever your customers are asking, put it in your on-hold message.

  1. Let customers know other ways to contact you

We live in an age of technology where a phone call is no longer the most efficient form of communication. Let your customers know you are on social media, and they can find answers to common questions there.

Put it all together

Now that you know what kind of messages could go into your on-hold message, you need to prioritise the information that you want to communicate. Write down what customers are asking for when they pick up the phone and see if you can find a trend.

When writing a script, make sure you’re using conversational language by doing this, you will sound genuine. Avoid language that makes your customer feel like another person waiting in a queue. Instead of “We’ll be with you momentarily” try saying “Thank you for your patience. We’ll be with you as soon as we can.”

Let’s put all of this information together to write a script for a local general store.

Thank you for calling The General Store. We’re currently busy, but if you hang tight, we’ll be with you in a moment. 

Did you know we’re open 7 am – 5 pm every single day, including public holidays, Easter and Christmas?

You can view our full catalogue of products online, including our weekly specials which change every Tuesday morning. Head to www.thegeneralstore.com.

Thank you for your patience. We apologise for the wait. We know your time is precious, we’ll be with you as quickly as possible. 

Did you know we have Facebook now? We post our weekly specials every week, including exclusive specials for our social media followers. 

There you have it. A well-crafted script which answers common questions and keeps the customer interested without becoming irritated.

To get started on your high-quality phone voiceover and on-hold message get in touch with us today and we’ll guide you through the entire process.