Hold music is its own genre, and it’s one that a lot of customers find incredibly frustrating. The wrong music when on hold might even be enough to make someone slam the phone down.
So what does good on hold music sound like? How can you ensure that it relaxes rather than annoys customers?
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how you can make that music loop a lot less annoying for your customers, giving them a superior customer service experience.
Are you ready to learn more? Then read on and let’s get started!
1. Be Mindful of Your Limitations
Hold music can sound horrendous at times. When it does, what is it that makes it sound so bad? It’s usually a combination of the tinny sound, the compressed music, and endless repetition.
You need to be mindful of a phone service’s limitations. When sound is transmitted along the phone line, it’s compressed. Not only that, it’s also focused on a fairly narrow audio range: the human voice.
Apply this to music and you’ve got a recipe for frustration.
When picking your music, avoid music that prominently features low or high-end frequencies: they’ll be chopped down and sound terrible.
2. Only Use Royalty-Free Music
You must only ever use royalty-free music as hold music. Royalty-free means that when you buy the track, you can use it ad infinitum without paying the artist any extra fees.
If you use a copyrighted track that demands royalties, hold music will end up costing you a fortune. Use it without paying the royalties and you’ll end up in a whole heap of legal trouble.
3. Create Custom Music
Custom music is absolutely essential. If your on hold music sounds generic, people are going to get fed up that much faster. You don’t want to use the same music that they’ve heard on a dozen other phone calls.
Custom music should be relevant to your business, perhaps featuring spoken messages in between tracks that let your customers know you understand their frustration. Custom on hold messages are essential for a modern business.
4. Be Consistent With Volume
Have you ever been chatting to a customer service agent, only to be put on hold and the music blasts your ears off? Your music shouldn’t be any louder than a conversation, or you’re going to annoy your customers all the more.
5. Update Your Music Regularly
There are going to be some customers who call your business regularly. When they do, they shouldn’t have to listen to the same music over and over again.
We’d recommend that every few months you change your music to another track. Feel free to get seasonal too: when it’s Christmas, you could use Christmas music, and so on.
Music When on Hold Doesn’t Have to Be Annoying
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at how to use better hold music. Music when on hold doesn’t have to be a horrific listening experience, and if you follow these tips, your customers will have a far better customer service experience.
For more helpful content like this, check out the rest of our blog!
