It happens to you every day. You call a business and are told to "please hold". Then you hear it: a fuzzy radio station, computer-generated music or the black hole of silence on hold. "This is terrible!" you think to yourself. Then you wonder, "What do people hear on hold when they call MY business"?
So you've decided it's time for a little help from a pro. You start your search online, but soon questions pop up. How much does it cost? How do messages get on my phone? What about the technology? How will I know if I'm being taken advantage of?
Most businesses have ignored on-hold time most callers endure. A recent poll revealed that 86% of us get placed on hold every time we call a business. Yet most businesses have not decided what should be heard when the hold button is pushed. Do nothing and callers get silence or poor-quality "default music" that came with the phone system.
Have you ever heard of production music? The term refers to a library of original compositions controlled by music publishers, licensed to individual producers or production companies for limited use. The music used by on hold messages providers is typically from one of these production libraries. Which library is used will make all the difference
As you can imagine, some of these tunes are amateur. Some are "OK" and some are amazing. There has been a proliferation of production music libraries in recent years, including "royalty free" music. Be forewarned that "royalty free" music means that the on hold message company does not pay licensing, which leaves you on the hook for signing up with ASCAP, BMI, and other performance rights organizations.
Easy On Hold® maintains a long-term agreement with the world's largest music producer. Sample hold music tracks from our 100,000 song library. The creative team behind this music also produces music for Muse, The Rolling Stones, Rihanna, Bon Iver, The Gaslight Anthem, Vampire Weekend, Jordan Sparks, Shawn Mullins, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Masterchef, X Factor, Dancing With The Stars, BBC television, Captain America, ESPN, The Good Wife, Fox TV Network... the list goes on and on. If you aren't finding exactly what you want, we will get it for you.
Here are some service and support features to look for when choosing a messages and music on hold company.
Every company is likely to eventually get a bad review right? Well, after 22 years, it hasn't happened yet to Easy On Hold®. Some others in our industry have Google reviews like, "I’ve since called and emailed probably 6 times over the last 3 weeks to follow up and she doesn’t have the ability to even return an email." And, "I am reporting them to the Florida Better Business Bureau and Attorney General of Florida."
Another company has reviews like, "Reps have a very very bad attitude." and "Staff is not trained properly." These are not listed on the Better Business Bureau site, so it's best to check around for different ratings.
Here are some reviews we received here at Easy On Hold®:
"Simply amazing! Seriously, the best service from anyone that I have ever worked with! Thank you so much, please personally thank your team from all of us here at Midwest. The staff loved it and the customers asked us questions because of it! I will undoubtedly recommend your service to anyone that I discuss this topic with. The recordings were perfect and with all this service, and we could not be more satisfied."
Ken Lewis, Midwest Photo Exchange"Shaw's experience with Easy On Hold has been very positive. Each time we have worked on detailed projects, there has been a strong commitment to meeting our requirements. In addition, Easy On Hold has engaged Shaw to understand our business and while providing leadership and best practices for managing our marketing message. Easy On Hold provides a consistent, brand specific voice. We have been updating messages for several years and the experience for our callers through these changes has remained constant."
Pam Holder, Customer Service/Logistics Business Solutions Shaw Industries Group Inc."Spotlight Pages has used many voice over and on hold companies from around the world. Easy on hold is the best if not the best in the world voice over and on hold music we’ve had the pleasure of working with in years. The employees are very patient, diligent and friendly. We can’t find one problem with their service, it’s an impeccable program. If you need voice over or on hold music, I highly recommend them! Our company and it’s 1600+ employees wants to thank Easy On Hold, we ALL trust you with our business."
Amber Hicks and the Spotlight Pages Team