The Spectrio blog has moved!
As of May 14, 2013 the Spectrio blog will located at spectrio.com. Please click here to be directed to the new blog, where you can follow our company events, learn about our products and services, find answers to frequently asked questions, get marketing tips, and so much more.
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While there are advantages to both on hold messages and on hold music, we’re going to take a stand and say messages win out. Why? At Spectrio, we think that any time spent waiting is a great opportunity for companies to promote their products and services, communicate with customers, and build their brands!
In an ideal world, nobody would ever have to be on hold. All of a company’s calls would be handled by one super-human with the magical ability to answer any and all questions, up-sell products and services, provide useful information, and convince callers to share their company’s name with friends and family. You’d always know what you were going to get…amazing customer service!
But this is the real world. Even if you have a small company, chances are your receptionist is not going to be able to answer technical questions, make sales, assist with billing errors, do all the scheduling, ordering, AND everything else that goes on there. And if your receptionist does handle all that…you better give that receptionist a HUGE raise!
What we’re trying to say is simple. In many cases, you’re going to have to put a caller on hold in order to get an answer to a question, transfer the call to a different department, process a payment, troubleshoot an issue, or any other number of situations. Why not use that time to promote an add-on to your caller’s service, or a special price on a product you’re trying to clear out of your stockroom, or even direct the caller to your website for more information about your company?
Now you may be thinking, are there any situations in which we would recommend music instead of messages? Of course! If your employees are quick to answer their phones when a call is transferred, or your caller’s average hold time is 30 seconds or less, music can be a good option to let them know you have not disconnected their call and that help is on the way.
Would you like to learn more about messages and music on hold? Visit our website here, give us a call at 800.584.4653 x6382 or email us. We’re happy to recommend the best on hold solution for your company!
[Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net]
Why your retail business needs overhead messages
If better sales are what you’re after, in-store messaging should be a key component in your business strategy!
Studies show (The Checkout Issue 2.12) that 2 out of 3 impulse purchases are due to a promotion that a customer just couldn’t pass up, and more than 60 percent of those customers purchase an additional 1 to 3 products.
So, how do you get your customers to make those impulse purchases?
If your business has overhead or background music playing during store hours, intersperse short marketing messages every 5 to 10 minutes. Not sure what to say in these messages? Here are 7 ideas to get you started:
1. Give customers information about specials and direct them to the correct store location.
2. Let them know what’s on sale.
3. Tell them what’s fresh.
4. Suggest add-ons to items they might already be purchasing.
5. Remind them about your valuable warranty or insurance program.
6. Promote holiday-themed items in the weeks leading up to a holiday.
7. Feature new items.
If you’re interested in more information about Spectrio’s overhead music and messaging services, visit our website, call us at 800.584.4653 x6382, or email us here.
There are so many possible answers to this question! Let’s ask a few more questions and give some examples of what you could include in your on-hold messages.
- Does your business sell products or services? Explain the benefits of those products/services and showcase what makes your product stand out from the rest.
- Do callers often ask for directions or your hours? On-hold messages are a great place to share that information.
- Is your business a medical or law office? Give some background about the doctors or lawyers and your staff – their credentials, associations, and experience.
- Are you running any current specials? Use your on-hold messages to promote sales and special pricing. You could even feature an on-hold-only promotion to see how many callers are paying attention to the messages!
- Will your company be participating in upcoming trade shows, volunteer events, fairs, or festivals? Let callers know where they can meet you and your team in person.
- Want to just keep your callers entertained without sharing a lot of information about your business? Trivia makes for great filler. It could be industry related, or completely random and off-the-wall.
- Does your company have a unique history that not many people know? Tell the story in your on-hold messages.
- Will you be updating when the seasons change? Add monthly or season-specific ‘flair’ to the messages.
For a few more ideas, check out our previous posts here and here!
Spectrio Voice of Choice: Melody Colina
Though she started her communications career behind the camera, Melody Colina has always had a passion for voiceover work. She was attending the Connecticut School of Broadcasting for media operations when one of her teachers told her she should be in front of the camera instead of editing video…and that’s where Melody’s career began!
She has done work for online books, demos, instructional videos, and documentaries, and because she speaks both English and Spanish she is a valuable part of Spectrio’s voice talent roster.
When she’s not behind the microphone, Melody loves to dance, sing, and spend time with her young son, playing sports. She also has a passion for motorcycles, and has built her own home voice studio. In addition, she’s learning Japanese and French.
What Melody likes best about being a voice talent is the creativity, and being able to achieve the tone that the clients request.
When asked who she’d most like to do voiceover work for, Melody enthusiastically replied, “Pixar!” She said that she loves animated movies, and that voicing for Pixar would be an amazing experience.
If you’re looking for a female voice talent with a soft and natural, warm, sweet, or young sound, choose Melody for your next production! Listen to her sample here.
Spectrio Cares! Update
The Spectrio Ramblers of Tulsa completed the MS Walk on April 13th. The team was able to exceed their fundraising goal of $1,500 by raising a total of $2,535 to go toward research for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.
Although the weather was cold and rainy, the team completed the walk and were all smiles at the finish line.
Here are a few photos:
If you’d like to participate in an MS Walk in your area, visit the National MS Society’s page here.
Q&A: What type of on hold program is right for my company?
At Spectrio, we offer a wide variety of message on hold programs to suit any need and budget. But how do you choose what’s right for your company? Here’s a little more information about each of our update programs and some things to consider when making your decision.
Monthly
A monthly update program allows you to change your scripting, voicing and music 12 times per year. This type of program is popular with businesses that run monthly advertising or pricing. It is also ideal for companies that want to promote current events, and those that have many repeat callers.
Bi-Monthly
With a bi-monthly program, you get 6 productions per year. This is great for companies that want to coordinate with newsletters, events, website updates and events, but perhaps don’t need to make changes as frequently.
Quarterly
A quarterly program entitles you to 4 productions a year. Quarterly updates are perfect for businesses that experience seasonal trends. If your company offers different promotions for winter, spring, summer and fall, a quarterly program is right for you!
Semi-Annual
With a semi-annual update program, you’ll receive 2 productions per year. This is a cost-effective solution for companies that don’t have a lot of repeat callers. Many semi-annual clients use one production to play for the majority of the year, then use their second production for a custom holiday message on hold.
Annual
The annual program allows for one update per year. This is ideal for businesses that rarely make changes to their products and services, do not change with the seasons, and do not experience many repeat callers.
Those are just the basics of our update programs. But what if you need to update more frequently? Maybe your company has lots of dated events, or you have a different promotion every week of the year. No worries! We are happy to customize a program to meet your exact needs. Send us an email, or call us at 800-584-4653 x6382 for more information.
(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
