Nobody likes being left on hold, especially when they’re calling a business for help. While some waiting is unavoidable when your team is busy, a frustrating phone experience can leave callers wondering whether they should keep waiting or take their business elsewhere.
The time callers spend waiting to speak with someone is often referred to as hold time or queue time. Whatever you call it, how you manage that time can make a difference to your customers’ experience.
So, what can your business do when answering every call immediately isn’t possible?
Are Long Hold Times Costing You Customers?
When customers call your business, they expect to be acknowledged and helped. Being placed on hold without an explanation, left listening to silence, or subjected to poor-quality audio can make an already frustrating experience worse.
The longer callers wait without useful information or reassurance, the greater the risk that they’ll hang up before reaching your team.
Research published by customer engagement company Velaro in 2012 found that nearly 60% of surveyed consumers were unwilling to wait more than one minute for a response. However, this research is more than a decade old, so the figures shouldn’t be treated as a measure of current customer expectations.
The underlying lesson remains useful: callers value their time, and an unhelpful waiting experience can work against your customer service efforts.
Although reducing hold times should always be a priority where possible, improving the experience while customers wait is another opportunity worth considering.
How Can You Make Waiting on Hold Better?
You can’t always control how busy your team gets, but you can control what callers hear while they wait.
A professionally produced message on hold replaces silence or repetitive music with useful, relevant content. Instead of leaving callers wondering how long they’ll be waiting, you can use that time to communicate with them and reinforce your brand.
Your message on hold could include:
- Helpful information: Share business hours, website details, locations, or instructions that callers may need.
- Products and services: Highlight offerings that customers might not know about.
- Special offers and events: Promote seasonal deals, upcoming events, or other relevant updates.
- Useful tips: Provide practical advice related to your industry.
- A personal touch: Thank callers for their patience and reassure them that their call matters.
The goal isn’t to fill every second with advertising. It’s to give callers a more engaging and informative experience while they wait to speak with someone.
Why Professional Messages on Hold Make a Difference
Your phone system is an extension of your customer service and your brand. The way it sounds can influence how callers perceive your business.
A professionally written script, experienced voice talent, and suitable background music help create a polished, consistent experience. The content can also be tailored to your audience, industry, and brand personality.
For example, an automotive service centre might share seasonal vehicle maintenance tips, while a dental office could offer helpful oral health reminders. A retail business might use its message on hold to highlight current promotions or new products.
By keeping your content relevant and refreshing it when information changes, you can make better use of the time customers spend waiting.
Professional on-hold messaging won’t eliminate long queues or guarantee that callers stay on the line, but it gives your business a practical way to improve the experience.
Turn Hold Time Into a Better Customer Experience
When customers have to wait, what they hear matters. Silence, outdated information, and poor-quality audio can make the experience feel longer and less welcoming.
A thoughtful message on hold gives you an opportunity to keep callers informed, share useful information, and present your business professionally while your team works to answer their calls.
At On Air Audio Services, we produce professional message on hold recordings tailored to your business, from scriptwriting and voice talent to finished audio.
