Sometimes 30 seconds of silence is nice, but when you’re on the phone it seems like an eternity. That’s why caller abandonment happens faster and more often to organizations that don’t have an on-hold message, and lost calls are opportunities missed. To help chambers solve this issue, CommunityLink offers free Marketwise On-Hold Messages that will fill the void for waiting callers while promoting the chamber’s image and services.

The voice and driving force behind our MarketWise On-Hold messages is CommunityLink team member Todd Ellis. Todd has nearly 20 years of experience as a radio broadcaster and freelance voice actor, and he applies this talent to each of the customized messages we supply. While he has produced a number of these messages for chambers around the country, he says that some others are reluctant because they believe it will be difficult to implement.

“I think they believe that they need a big and complex phone system, when in fact, an on-hold message can be utilized with a simple two or four line analog phone purchased from your local office supply store. You don’t have to have a big, fancy phone system, you just need a phone and a reason to make them wait.”

One other thing you need is a simple on-hold message player, which you can get for less than $200. Depending on your phone, this will either be a PBX compatible type that plugs into a dedicated “music on hold” input or an analog compatible type that hooks in-line with the phone just the same way you would install an answering machine. It’s easy to do either way, and we can even help you find and acquire what you need.

Getting your message is even easier. Start by going to our Marketwise Promotional Toolbox online and choosing “Request a Custom On-Hold Message.” Then, click “Request Your Message” at the top of the page, pick the scripts you like (or make one up yourself), select the background music, fill in your information, and submit. Todd takes care of the rest, and before long you’ll get your personalized message via email as an MP3 file that can be downloaded to the player or saved on a disc.

“The coolest thing about the On-Hold Message for a small office is that it can make a small office sound big,” Todd says. “Even if your office has only one or two people, if you put someone on hold and they hear a nice, informative, interesting message, it kind of makes you sound like the big boys.”

Need more reasons? Still have questions? Check out the MarketWise Promotional Toolbox on CommunityLink.com or contact Todd at 800-455-5600 ext. 1500 / todd.ellis@communitylink.com.

marketwise, On-Hold, On-Hold Message, Telephone