Recently, a client asked me why our on hold demo contained music and voice-over, with the voice-over repeatedly stating ‘thank you for calling Media Music Now…’ My client suggested that our demo sounded a little bit staged and a little bit false, as our demo was clearly created using our own script and did not contain any examples of previous work.

It has often been said in business, that your clients are your greatest critics. This is very true. In this case, when we conceived the idea of adding an on hold service to Media Music Now, (some 18 months ago) we had not generated any on-hold business prior to creating a demo and therefore our client was correct in their assumption. The demo had indeed been created using our own script.

Since that time, we have done many, many packages for numerous clients in the UK and across Europe. We had been really busy producing audio that we had overlooked the fact that the demo was very much out of date. Although this was not intentional, it does give a very narrow view of what we have actually done in terms of on hold music and on-hold voice-over.

To rectify the situation, and I must thank my client for the heads up on this, we have now compiled an additional demo using excerpts from some of the recent on hold packages we have created for clients. The audio is three minutes long demonstrating a good range of on-hold work that we have done to date.

I have made this available here as a playable and downloadable version so that you can listen and see what we have been doing and can do. You will also find our original demo there too.

Please feel free to download the track and let your friends, colleagues and clients have a listen.

We are happy to work directly with your business to create you a custom on hold package with custom voice-over and music or alternatively, we are happy to work as a supplier to you if you are a telephony hardware provider. We deal purely with audio and do not have any dealings with telephone hardware. If you are interested in finding out more about using us as your on-hold music and voice-over supplier, please contact us through the contact page on Media Music Now. You might be surprised to learn how affordable on-hold music and voice-over is through Media Music Now.

Enjoy the new demo! Your comments are welcome as always.

If you need any further information about our on hold services please visit Media Music Now.

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As a producer of music, on hold and voice-over packages for telephone, IVR and on hold marketing, I am very aware of the telephone greeting services and on hold music that I hear on other companies phone systems. I know this sounds rather geeky, but I actually like being placed on hold for a short period of time when calling companies. This period of time gives me a chance to analyze the quality of their music, on-hold audio and the quality of their voice-overs.

What I tend to find is that many on hold sections are distorted, too quiet or too loud. Now, you could just blame the supplier of the music on hold package for their lack of quality. However, as a provider of these packages, Media Music Now are experts in audio production and audio quality, but we do not know much about telephony hardware. Likewise, it seems that providers of telephony hardware know little about audio production or audio file formats. The result is that very often we produce high quality on hold packages but are requested to convert them into an audio format that the hardware provider deems suitable. In many cases, this is fine as we can convert to many formats with no problem at all, but occasionally, we are asked to convert the on hold package to a file type that is actually so compressed that it distorts the quality of the music and on hold voice-over, before it is even added to the telephone system. Once added to the system, the audio is further degraded by the bandwidth limitations of the telephone network.

In our experience, it is better to put the highest quality file possible into the system to start with. By doing this, the only degradation that is introduced is the bandwidth limitations of the telephone network. We find that MP3s or 16 bit, 22 kHz wave files provide the best audio quality on the end of the telephone receiver.

Many telephony hardware providers will argue this point and say that the telephone network degrades the quality to four bits, 8kHz anyway and for this reason they don’t need a higher quality audio file. I would have to say I really disagree with this. In my opinion, it is like taping a really old tape on to another really old tape, it doesn’t sound very good at all.

My view is that some of the highly compressed file formats they request make the audio sound very distorted before it even goes on the telephone system. With the added distortion/limitations of the telephone line, the final audio that the listener hears can end up excessively crackly or distorted. In my opinion, if you are spending money to have a bespoke on hold music & voice over package produced professionally, the last thing you want is it to sound distorted and poor quality.

I firmly believe that putting a higher quality file in the telephone system to start with, makes the delivered quality to your caller much higher and much more acceptable to the ear.

In conclusion, start with good quality in your telephone system to avoid distortion, crackle, bad volumes levels and any other audio anomalies that cause a bad listener experience. Granted, the telephone system will limit the quality anyway, but having the sound the best it can be will always present a much more positive image of your company.

For information about Media Music Now’s music & voice-over on hold service go to
http://www.mediamusicnow.co.uk/telephone_audio/

By Lee Pritchard

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On hold music and voice-over needs to be mixed correctly, otherwise it can become needlessly irritating. It never ceases to amaze me that some very large companies get this so wrong.

I have just been on hold for about 20 minutes and as a producer of on-hold packages I am very aware of the issues. My experience today with a very large mobile phone company highlights some do’s and don’ts for companies considering a custom on-hold package.

Consistency – I have just listened to a variety of male and female voices all at different volume levels. I believe the voice-over should be the same person throughout and there is no excuse for the voice to change in volume from message to message. The only exception to this is in advert style sound bites during an on-hold section.

Don’t stop the music – I strongly believe that voice-over during an on-hold section should be mixed with the music. My experience just today played 10 seconds of music, before a voice-over thanked me for continuing to hold. At each stage the music stopped whilst the voice thanked me for holding.

Two things are wrong here.
Firstly, the music should duck, or lower in volume whilst the voice-over is present. Stopping the music lulls the caller into a false sense of security. Every time the music stops you think you are through… then you realise you aren’t!

Secondly, don’t thank the caller every 10 seconds for holding. By all means thank them periodically but it is always best to mix in a variety of voice-over elements to keep the caller attentive. Product related tips or facts, anything other than the same sentence over and over.
The spacing of these messages depends on the music speed and the length of the voice-over section. As a producer of on-hold packages I find it is best to determine the spacing based on how it feels and how it fits with the music bed.

Communicate - The on-hold section can be an ideal communication channel for you, directly to your target market. Tell them about little known services, latest deals, and practical information. Making your on-hold a positive experience requires a little forethought but will make a huge difference to your callers.

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IVR is short for Interactive Voice Response, an automated system that uses a touch response telephone to direct your call. You will have one of these if you have multiple departments with lots of incoming calls.

60% of callers put on a silent on-hold hang up within 40 seconds and callers put on-hold with information and music will stay about 3 minutes longer.

55% of communication is lost over the phone (body language), leaving us with 38% through tone of voice and just 7% through words.

As you can see from the statistics, giving the wrong message in the wrong tone could actually damage your sales and your reputation.

Many companies spend time and money on their visual branding (logo and leaflets) but neglect their telephone audio. “Your sonic branding is as important as your visual branding!”

This article looks at some of the common mistakes made with IVR and on-hold marketing. It also outlines some good techniques to use.

You rang !

It is best to have just a few options on your telephone system. People lose interest quickly so listing every department is not always a good idea. Think about it from the customers’ point of view, what will they be calling your company for? To buy products? Information? To make a complaint?

It is recommended that you keep it to 3 or 4 salient options max if you can. If you think that you need 7 or 8 options, be ruthless; cut it down to the 3 or 4 relevant points. You can always have the 4^th option to cover all other enquires.

Remember, the purpose of telephone options is to get the potential client through to the most relevant operator as quickly as possible. Failing that, you need to get them to remain on hold until you are able to deal with their call.

“Thank you for calling ABC, for sales please press 1 - for product information press 2 - for all other enquiries press 3.”

Make it simple and friendly and always use a professional voice-over. People relate to it better and psychologically, it is more accepted and expected by the caller. Your company will sound established and efficient and will instantly inspire confidence. You can always tell when a member of the office records the IVR options, you know, the one with the best telephone voice!

Think about the type of voice-over you want to use… What image do you want your company to portray in the mind of the listener? What is your target market?

Using a voice-over style that will connect with your caller is important. You don’t want a mature corporate voice if your company is aimed at 18-25 year olds, and likewise, you don’t want a young radio type voice if your are a firm of lawyers.

On-hold Now

Being on hold can be annoying, however, you can entertain and use this time to educate your caller. A silent on-hold is extremely cold and callers hang up much sooner than when they have something to occupy them.

Music

Music can alleviate boredom, however, make sure your music is properly licensed for use on a telephone system otherwise you could face a copyright infringement charge.

Also, do select the music carefully. Not everybody has your taste in music…for example, a banging hip-hop track may alienate some of your callers. It is usually best to go for music that is easy on the ear or relaxing. Original music is a good choice for telephone use as the caller has no preconceptions about the piece – they just accept it as music.

As with the voice, it is also advisable to pick music that is relevant to the company image you want to portray. It is acceptable for a nightclub to use a pumping dance track, but clearly this would be wrong for an accountant’s office.

It is good practice to thank the caller for holding, but do not do it every 5 seconds! Many on hold systems work on a continuous loop. I suggest having your ‘thank you’ message at the beginning and in the middle of the loop. Intervals of 20-30 seconds don’t disrupt the music too much but remind your caller that you care.

Entertain, educate and sell!

Don’t waste the opportunity you have when a caller is on hold. You have a captive audience. You have a great opportunity to keep them occupied and educate them about your services.

It is best not to blatantly advertise, or to cram as many ads in as possible. A more subtle approach is far less intrusive and more appreciated by the caller. On-hold marketing should use voice and music combined. They are both important elements so let any adverts breath; make sure there is music on either side of them to break things up.

When it comes to writing a telephone advert, make it short and to the point. I am not and advertising expert, however, making it engaging and entertaining can really count.

Simple stuff can work best i.e.

“Thank you for holding, did you know ABC limited sells more widgets in the UK than any other company, and can price match any quote.”

“This Autumn we have great savings on widgets, ask your operator for details”.

You get the idea, short sentences, no hard sell and let people hear the music before and after the voice, this is when they will take in and process the information.

I have written this article based on my experience of putting telephone audio packages together for clients and have much experience in this area. I have a limited knowledge about hardware but I advise that you always test any newly installed audio.

Phone your company as a client to check that it all works. Is the volume right? Is it clear? Are there anomalies in the system that causes delays or the first split second to be cut off? There is nothing worst than hearing your perfectly produced audio file being butchered by incorrectly configured hardware. Your callers will notice it but say nothing about it. Not to you anyway!

I hope this article has given you food for thought!

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