(by Angela Karr, Assistant Editor)

We've all heard the familiar "Please hold." Annoying? Usually. The truth is most of us have better things to do than sit at our desks with a phone attached to our ear... waiting.

While messages on hold cannot take the "hold" out of waiting, they can entertain, provide helpful hints, and reassure the customer that they have not been forgotten. "Messages do not fix 20 minute average hold times. That's a manpower problem," says Marcus Graham, president of GM Productions. "The one thing on-hold will do is project the image you're trying to uphold."

Aside from projecting a positive image, messages on hold are a powerful customer service too. For instance a company can use their on-hold message to inform callers of phone numbers for other departments which can handle their call more quickly. The end result? A satisfied caller. "Basically, the hold message lets you know you're standing in the wrong line," says Alan Kvares, president, Telephonetics, International. "In a customer service environment this is all very important."

Enhanced Sales and Product Awareness
Each company has people who take orders. But today they need to do more. They need to build add-on sales. Introduce new products, or remind customers of special promotions. Most are unable to do this consistently. They are either too busy, unable to quickly gather material that applies to the customer's current account, or feel uncomfortable pushing products. The solution? Let a message take care of educating your callers about line X, Y, and Z your company recently added.

Tacky vs. Professional
More and more companies are taking advantage of messages on hold rather than subjecting their callers to dead air, elevator music or radio stations.

"Messages on hold are growing rather quickly because it is an inexpensive way to target your advertising. It is a fraction of the cost of a direct mail piece," says Rick Snider, president, Marketing Messages. "It is the only medium where you effectively know that your target group is hearing you."

But, is it ethical to sell to a customer who has called you? It all boils down to being tactful. If you message is service-oriented or provides information, great. If it shouts, screams and yells sales pitches, that's not so great. Not only does a loud, pushy message on hold offend the customer, it also paints an unflattering image.

"There is a key difference between radio advertising and messages on hold," says Snider. "In radio the writer has to reach out and shake the listener to make an impression. In messages on hold we're taking advantage of the hold time. We have their attention because they have already called. But we have to be careful to bombard them." If you handle the content correctly, using on hold messages is neither unethical nor offensive to the listener. In fact, it is more ethical than using the most common hold device.. the radio. Radio on hold is illegal unless you pay rights to ASCAP and BMI.

Award Winning Applications
The uses for messages on hold are endless. Use them to broadcast frequently requested information such as office hours, address, phone and fax numbers. During the holidays add a "Seasons Greetings" or notify clients in advance when your office will be closed. Or, use your message to provide customers with interesting trivia. Contests are also a popular way to grab the attention of your callers. If correctly formatted contests can be a cost-effective way to generate interest in your company and products. Other effective uses of messages on hold include:

• Describing new applications for old products,
• Inviting customers to visit you at upcoming trade shows,
• Asking for suggestions on how you can improve your service,
• Including a message from the company's president,
• Describing the benefits of you product or services,
• Giving customers tips on saving money, time etc. With your products.

Here are some unique ways other companies are taking advantage of messages on hold:

• A print shop was receiving complaints from customers about an increase in their typesetting charges. Before the owner lost any business, he decided to clear up misconceptions. He implemented a message that encouraged callers to type copy material, legibly add dimensions and color into the margins, and most importantly use the fax for any rush jobs. These hints helped his typesetters do their job correctly the first time, and customers who put these tips into practice saw a decrease in their bills.
• One company installed a "run-around hotline" callers could dial if they felt they were being placed on hold for intolerable time spans or were unable to have their questions answered in a respectable amount of time. The manager himself was taking calls on the hotline. He used a bold approach, but one that ranked high on customer service.
• A car dealer placed his satisfied customers on tape and played their testimonials to callers on hold. The use of client testimonials gave the car dealer a respectful, honest image.
• Another company used their messages on hold to promote unadvertised specials. The message encouraged callers to mention the special promotion and receive 10 percent off any order of 10 or more. It was a subtle sales approach which rewarded the caller for his/her patience.

A community-minded business owner filled his hold time with public service announcements. He informed callers of upcoming community tops and got an A+ form his callers and the community.

The Future
One of the areas where the industry expects to see continued growth is in the coupling of messages with auto attendants and voice mail systems. "Most people think that having an auto attendant precludes you from using messages on hold," says Kvares. "In lots of incidences it make the system more user friendly."

"When you are transferred to voice mail there is a typical pause of three to 15 seconds," adds Snider. "We frequently work with companies who have just installed voice mail and we'll add some music and a quick 'we'll be right with you' so people know they haven't been disconnected."

ISDN will prove to be an important partner for messages on hold. "The key word to working effectively and economically is ISDN," says Kvares. "ISND" is going to allow everybody to move much more information, much faster over existing twisted cable."

The introduction of AT&T's picture phone has each segment of the industry speculating how it can be integrated.

Incorporating visual pictures with voice messages is a natural combination according to Kvares. "You will be able to generate video on hold the way you're using voice or music on hold," explains Kvares. "A hotel would be able to flash pictures of their banquet facilities, guest rooms, or anything else."

Whatever happens, technology will continue to advance the mechanical aspects of messages on hold. Creativity and unique applications will carry the industry into the future. According to one provider, "The first impression people get is from the telephone." Ninety-six percent of ad budgets are spent on generating calls, and only four percent on handling the call. But I have wasted my money if someone calls, get put on hold, get disgusted and hang up."

Man see a weeding out process in the '90s, and an increased emphasis on the creative aspects of the service. When that occurs, on hold will likely gain credit as a bona fide medium, not a gimmick... the next level of your marketing umbrella.