Julie Brown, CEO of Easy On Hold, writes about the caller experience in this thoughtful article for the Music On Hold Experts Blog.
One of our customers did something recently that I thought was pretty clever.
Carvana hired Shaquille O’Neal to record a short message that plays before callers are placed on hold. In it, Shaq jokes that Carvana has him working customer service, then starts yelling at an imaginary call center agent to hurry up because callers are still waiting.
His celebrity is definitely part of the appeal, but it’s not really the point.
It’s that Carvana found a way to inject a little personality into a moment most companies completely overlook.
Think About the Average On-hold Customer Experience
The messages are often generic, interchangeable, and forgettable. Most callers couldn’t tell you which company they were calling if you removed the name. Carvana’s message feels different because it sounds like something only Carvana would do.
Not every business should put Shaq on its phone system, of course. But every business can think about how to make the experience feel a little more human.
That might mean:
- A touch of humor
- A warm welcome
- Helpful information customers actually care about
- A seasonal update
- A customer success story
- An employee spotlight
The goal isn’t to be funny for the sake of being funny. It’s to create a connection and remind callers that there are real people behind the brand.
Some of the most effective caller experiences we’ve heard over the years aren’t necessarily the most polished or the most expensive. They’re the ones that feel authentic.
People respond to personality. They remember things that feel human.
Carvana happened to use Shaq. The bigger takeaway is that they weren’t afraid to sound like themselves.