Does your business need on hold messages?

Let’s face it, customers who call to a business don’t want to be on-hold. The best on hold message is no hold at all!

However, if there is no other option but to place your customers on hold (perhaps during a busy season), you need to make the experience as pleasant as possible.

Above all you must encourage the caller to remain on the line. Provide reassurance to your clients that an agent will be available soon and don’t forget to convey the idea that their time is valued and their call is important.

3 simple tips for selecting best on hold messages

The best option would be to customize your on hold messages to include the expected hold time, mention ongoing promotions or upsell, and provide other helpful up-to-date information about your business, self-serve options, or anything else that may be relevant.

If message personalization is not an option, your still can use generic on hold messages that would work in most situations.

Here are some basic tips to make your callers experience better:

1. Start with a warm greeting. It’s only polite to say “Hello”. However, don’t forget to ask the caller to stay on the line and wait.

2. If the hold is more that a couple of minutes make sure to thank customers for their time. Apologize for delays if hold time is significant.

3. Don’t repeat the same message over and over again, create a sequence that provides relevant messages during the duration of the hold.

Bonus tip for small businesses:

Small business on-hold messages should be warm, concise, and community-focused. Highlight local connections, express appreciation, and keep messages brief.

Ready to use on hold messages scripts and examples (with audio)

Here you’ll find a collection of commonly used oh hold message scripts along with the audio examples:

thank you for your patience

It’s very important to thank your customers for waiting. Being on hold is not a desirable experience for anyone. The least you can do it thank your clients for their time and to help them not feel neglected.

Most typical on hold scripts include: “Thank you for your patience” and “Your call is important to us”.

please stay on the line

How to make sure the callers do not hang up and keep waiting for the next available client rep? You ask them!

The most common scripts include: “Please hold” and “Please stay on the line”

the next available representative will be with you shortly

Manage the expectations by reminding your clients that the customer agent will speak with them as soon as possible and the wait is almost over.

The common scripts include: “The next available representation will be with you shortly” or simply “We will be with you shortly”. These messages often work best when coupled with expected waiting time announcement.

More ready to use professional on hold messages and alerts for your business phone line.

Attention grabbing alerts

Often, it’s a good idea to precede the message with a bright alert sound effect to grab snoozing customer attention:

More alert sounds for your business phone.

Localized messages for regional markets

If run a local business make sure your messages sound authentic for your local audience:

Need on hold message for your business now?

Download any 5 ready to use on hold messages from our catalog.

where to get on hold messages and music for your business

Depending on your budget and needs, there are a number of options:

1. Record your own on hold messages

If you have a nice voice and more or less decent recording equipment, you can record your own on hold messages.

The biggest advantages are that it’s free and you have the ultimate flexibility in what you can say. If you plan on using background music make sure you’re using music that is safe to use in commercial projects. Also check out the technical requirements of you business phone system and learn how to format on hold music for phone systems.

Need ideas for what to say when placing a caller on hold? See our 50 free on hold message scripts examples for any type of business.

2. Hire a VO artist

If you have a bit of a budget you can hire a voice over (VO artist) or hire a specialized on hold messages service company. Depending on what your requirements the price may range between $50 – $60 and several hundreds dollars. Sometimes, for a little extra cost, the VO artists can also provide background music.

3. Download ready to use on hold messages and music

Hiring a specialized on hold messaging company can get expensive. As a more affordable alternative, you can use pre-made, ready to use on hold messages and music, like the examples we mentioned earlier.

Here, at TunePocket you can choose between two convenient packages:

Download any 5 royalty free music tracks or sound effects
Download any 10 royalty free music tracks or sound effects

All music and sound effects are provided with lifetime royalty free license.

Related: Top 10 best on hold music tracks for your business

Related: How to select, license, and format on hold music for your business phone

Questions? Comments?

What soft of on hold messages work best for YOUR clients?

It can be challenging to choose the best audio announcements, greetings, voice prompts, and on-hold messages that works specifically for your business. You may need to experiment with various messages and prompts to find our what works best in your specific case.

What do you think is the best on hold message your business needs? Let us know by posting a comment! If we like your idea we will record it and add it to our collection of royalty free sounds.

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