“One ringy-dingy…two ringy dingy…Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?” If you're a baby boomer, you probably recognize these words from Lily Tomlin's Ernestine character, the zany telephone operator of the 1960s TV hit “Laugh In.”

“Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?” is relevant for an agency. Not only is a real person waiting on the other end of the phone, but real money was spent generating the call.
Sales & Marketing Management magazine stated “Ninety-four percent of all advertising budgets are allocated toward making the phone ring, but only 6 percent is spent handling the client once the call comes in.”
Customers call for a reason. Placing someone on hold potentially delays the fulfillment of this purpose and makes the caller feel ignored or dismissed. It makes sense to communicate a clear, consistent message when callers are on hold.
Agencies have three options for on-hold messages:
1. Ignore customers by providing silence or meaningless messages
2. Entertain customers with music or messages without purpose or intent
3. Market to customers by making the most of this communication.
On-hold marketing can be a cost-effective way to establish a competitive edge, retain customers, generate leads and provide valuable information to callers.
Statistics
Reports from major communications companies support the value of on-hold marketing. According to AT&T:
o An estimated 70 percent of business callers are put on hold
o An estimated 60 percent of business callers put on hold hang up
oAn estimated 30 percent of these callers don't call back.
North American Telecommunications Assn. reports:
o When faced with silence, callers abandon their calls in less than 1 minute and 90 percent hang up within 40 seconds.
o When provided with information, callers stay on the line for up to 3 minutes longer.
A US West Communications study reports:
o A 40 percent increase in retention of callers on hold
o 15 percent increase in inquiries
o 12 percent increase in requests for products and services mentioned on hold.
According to Telemarketing magazine, “More than 70 percent of business callers are put on hold.”
A CNN survey stated that “without music or messages, 60 percent of those on hold will hang up and 30 percent won't call back.”
Telemarketing magazine reported, “Surveys show that 15 percent to 20 percent of callers make purchases based on information they heard on hold.”
Better Business Marketing found that “a large percentage of callers hang up after being placed on hold. Having a message 'on-hold' system reduces call abandonment by almost 90 percent and increases hold time by more than 500 percent.” Profitable On-Hold Marketing
Making the most of on-hold marketing is not complicated nor expensive. The following ideas are practical ways to communicate a strong protection message when callers are on hold.
Unique Message: When you talk about the same things as your competition, using the same words in the same ways, you are invisible. Want to measure your agency's uniqueness? Call other agencies in your community and listen to their messages.
People stop listening when they know what's coming, so give them a message worthy of attention. Talk about your agency's compliance with federal privacy laws, commitment to social responsibility and instructions for submitting service requests electronically. You also might include a “protection question” offering a compelling reason to request a custom protection analysis. Nationwide and State Farm are spending millions of TV dollars with this exact message.
Avoid common pitfalls such as reminding customers they are on hold by saying, “Thank you for holding.” This wastes valuable marketing real estate by telling the caller what they already know.
Another common mistake is focusing on the passing of time. Your motives may be noble, but “We apologize for the delay” simply reminds the person they are on hold.
Timing: Fast speech decreases focus and attention. Callers may feel the message is not worth their efforts if they have to try and catch every word. Use a medium speech rate that is neither boring nor too fast.
Timing also includes the length of your message. Determine the average length of time callers are on hold. You can run a report to get this information.
Next, determine how much information can be communicated without repeating the message. Messages that repeat and waste valuable marketing time will probably make the customer tune out the second time the message is played. Testing: Maintain records to measure the effectiveness of on-hold marketing based on inquiries and sales resulting from your message. Change your message based on trends you discover.
Image: Technology allows any agency to choose the image it implants in the minds of its customers. Even a small agency can present the image of having the resources of a much larger organization. Are you a formal corporate agency or more relaxed? Do you want to be known for a specialty or as a generalist? Invest time to determine how you want the community to think of your agency and develop the appropriate image for your on-hold marketing.
Tone: Nonverbal communication is as much as 90 percent of the communication process. The right voice will communicate confidence, trust, honesty and the expectation of a unique customer experience.
For example, tone at a doctor's office sounds differently than at a car dealer. An agency that relies heavily on commercial lines might have a different tone than a personal lines agency.
Music: Multiple studies report that familiar music can work against a message's effectiveness. When callers sing along with the words, they are not listening to the message.
Call to action: A call to action lets the caller know what you want them to do with the heard information. Always remember to ask for the sale.
Offer free printed materials or a comprehensive protection review. The FBI has excellent information such as preventing identity theft and protecting kids on the Internet. Other resources are www.iii.org and AARP.
Provide the agency's Web site or an e-mail address for responding to the call to action. Callers might be reluctant to ask for more information if they think the calls will take longer than planned.
Finally, set goals for your on-hold marketing. Measurable goals are the only way to determine success. A little planning and a lot of creativity might give your agency the edge to increase both retention and revenue.