There was a time when our client had to flag us because there was no hold music in their IVR system. As you well know, having to hear silence while you wait for a customer representative should never happen. So, music or sometimes companies resort to play a loop of their own advertisements to reassure the caller they are still in the company’s system.
An interesting thing happened though. While we were calling into a system, there were about 3 people in the room, including myself. One said, “Their hold music is so cool! I always find myself singing to the tune and the wait isn’t that bad.” Yet another mentioned “Nah, I like the advertisements or perhaps some classical music is better.” I ended up asking more people in the center.
What I’ve found is that it is dependent on their mood and the purpose of their call. Say, we have someone who is calling in regarding their bill and they’re all stressed, they would rather hear soothing music and some advertisements that are related to their call. Others who are used to calling using their speakerphone would rather hear pop music while they wait.
A thought came to my mind and was wondering if we could have different types of music depending on what number you press (which is technically the customer’s issue). I would love to see the results of that research!
You bring up an issue that I get asked all the time, and my conclusion is the same as yours. No one hold music is going to please all the people all the time. I remember calling Best Buy and the hold music was Miles Davis' "So What" and I thought to myself, "Yes! At least I'm going to have some GREAT music to listen to." My satisfaction just skyrocketed...until they cut the song short after about 30 seconds and started it over again, and again, and again. Arrrrghhhh!
Your idea is interesting. I would be fascinated to see how customers respond. Let us know if you do a test run!
Posted by: Tom Vander Well | June 8, 2006 11:42 AM | Permalink to Comment