Taking the mystery out of music-on-hold

So we’ve all been put on hold at one point or another in our lives.  Maybe it was when we called the bank to figure out a weird charge, when we called a friend at work, or maybe when we called our dentist office to schedule an appointment.  Being on hold is not something that I generally enjoy – but there are definitely some experiences that are better than others.

Think back to the last time that you were placed on hold. Which of the following did you experience?

1.       Beep-Beep… [silence, silence, silence] Beep-Beep… [silence, silence, silence] Beep-Beep, etc. 

2.       ---------------------  DEAD SILENCE ------------------

3.       Beeeeeeeeeeep… Beeeeeeeeeeeep… Beeeeeeeeep

4.       (or my favorite) “Hold on,” followed by phone hitting desk, followed by “HEY TERRY, THERE’S SOMEONE ON THE PHONE FOR YOU. ARE YOU AVAILABLE?”… “I’m sorry he’s out of the office at the moment, can I take a message?”  Ugh…..

Don’t you think that hold time could’ve been a lot better if you were listening to some good music, maybe some jazz, sounds of the ocean, top 40s, or pretty much anything other than beeping, yelling, or nothing at all?  We sure do.

Wait, but how does one get this magical, elusive “music-on-hold”?  You start asking: Do I need to get a new phone system? Do I need to pay the phone company a ton of money to somehow install it? Once it’s installed – how the heck do I select, change, or even shut off the music?

Truth – It’s simple.  All it takes is a small electronic device, like the OHP 6000 (OHP stands for “On-Hold Plus”) shown below, which plugs right into your phone.  You can get one of these from Phoneworx (including installation) for about $299 – no joke! It’s that easy! Even better? You can use it for pre-recorded on-hold messages to market your products or services if you so desire.  

Do you have to get the phone company involved? No. How do you get the music on there? You can use a CD player or an mp3 player – meaning you can change it up as often (or infrequently) as you choose.

By investing in this simple solution, you can create a better experience for your customers and differentiate yourself from the competition.  Clients will not only be more likely to hold the line, they’ll be impressed at the polished image on-hold custom messages and music present.

Moral of the story – not everything to do with phones is complicated.  Furthermore, if you want something and don’t know how to get it, don’t assume it is some crazy mystery.  Any other phone issues got you puzzled? Let me know. I’ve got access to some amazing technicians who can “speak phone” if you know what I mean.

Until next time,

Megan

You might need a new phone system if...

Our phone technicians have been servicing modern-day telephone systems for over 30 years. This is not the aggregate number of years mind you. These guys aren’t in their thirties anymore and they’ve seen it all. I just can’t get through the rest of the day without sharing some of their most memorable phone moments. Nor could I resist formatting this blog into another memorable list we all know, “You might be a redneck if…” So here goes, the top 10 things that indicate you might need a new phone system.

Drum roll please. (drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….)

You might need a new phone system if…

10.   The oldest thing on your desk is your telephone.

9.       The hand-set smells like Bay Rum.

8.       Your Auto-attendant retired.

7.       You’re not sure if you have a phone system.

6.       Your phone system has more seniority than your employees.

5.       Your phone system consists of two tin cans and some string.

4.       The music-on-hold is the theme from Hee-Haw.

3.       The office lights dim when pressing the Hold button.

2.       There’s a rag sticking out of it.

And finally, the number one reason you might need a new phone system…

1.       It’s on FIRE!

What’s in your phone closet?

-        Terry

How to use your phone system to grow your business

Right off the bat, you’re probably thinking, I know how to use my phone system… It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that we use it to make and accept phone calls. That’s it. It produces no revenue, only expense.

Newsflash! You can actually use it to GROW your business.  How? Keep on reading…

Imagine two, almost identical, small businesses in the same community. They offer similar services, have the same number of employees, pursue the same customers, and have similar prices, features, etc.  Truly, there isn’t a great deal differentiating one from the other. Sound familiar?

If you find yourself in this situation, here’s how you can boost your sales and take market share away from your competitor(s). Get a new phone system!

Your phone system is your company’s other front door. It’s the first, and many times, the last chance to make the right first impression.

Let’s go one step further.  Let’s say these look-a-like businesses are travel agencies. Susie, a potential customer, dials the first only to be greeted with someone who woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Let’s be frank, it happens to the best of us. “Red’s Travel,” he says, quite crabbily. Susie wants to know about a destination in Hawaii. Oscar the grouch puts her on hold… silent hold. A minute (which feels like an hour) later Susie, confused by the dead silence, hangs up. She figures either Red dropped the call, hung up, who knows - she’s gone, period.

Frustrated, Susie calls the second travel agency, located just across the street. A professional, pleasant voice answers, “Hello and thank you for calling Blue Waves Travel Agency, your source for the best travel deals.” Auto-attendants are NEVER in a bad mood. A greeting menu routes the call to an agent, and while she waits, ocean sounds reminiscent of a far-away exotic destination are played via the phone’s music-on-hold system. This calms Susie down and makes her feel like she’s already left… This not only enhances Susie’s experience, it builds trust, and sets Blue Waves apart. By the time the agent picks up the phone, she is more than ready to book her tropical get-away.

See the difference now? All things equal - a phone system with prompt, professional greetings and relevant music-on-hold is a great way to differentiate your business and outshine your competitors. Your phone system can be an effective marketing tool. Use it!

If you happen to be in a grouchy mood or if you’re still not sure if you need a new phone system, be sure to visit our blog next week to read “You might need a new phone system if…”

-        Terry

The man with the plan!

Phones 101: So what exactly is VoIP Anyway??

Well, as it turns out, today’s our lucky day! We’re going to get to the bottom of not only what VoIP actually is – but what it means for you and your business. When I first attempted to research this, I found the following answer on the Allworx website:

 “The term “VoIP” is officially an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol, but is also used to loosely refer to any application where packet-based data networks are used to packet switch telephone calls in real-time. This type of telephony contrasts to traditional hard-wired analog telephony that is circuit switched known as TDM (Time Division Multiplexing).”

What?... As a Marketing Director (not a phone techie or IT person), I struggle to comprehend what exactly that means to me. How about you?

In the most basic sense, “VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet” – pretty cool eh?

So, how can this new technology benefit you? If you own a small business, an IP phone system allows you to merge your entire communications network into one unified system – placing your voice, data, wireless, and other business communication tools on the same network. Not only can VoIP be the first step in ensuring call security, it can also allow employees to easily work from home - or any other remote location with an Internet connection. This accessibility can come in extremely handy if you are working to grow your business or if we get another freak snow-storm in the Upstate!

Overall, by upgrading your telecommunications to a VoIP system, you can increase productivity and security while simultaneously reducing costs and employee frustration. A bonus – because many additional features come standard on IP phone systems, it can eliminate the headache, time and costs associated with routinely upgrading, or purchasing add-ons for, a traditional phone system.

Okay, back to how VoIP actually works. Here’s an analogy to get more “visual.”  VoIP takes audio signals and turns it into small packets of data. These packets of data are like multi-colored marbles running through a serious of chutes or pipes (kind of like the board game Mouse TrapJ). Using VoIP, these marbles (i.e. spoken words or phrases) are placed in a timed sequence, where they roll through the system of pipes, are split apart, mixed with other marble collections from all over the world, and at the end arrive in the exact order necessary to rebuild the original spoken sentence. The coolest part? Even with millions of marbles rolling through a complex system all over North America, in the end, they are all routed to the right place, in the right order, like they were never “broken up” in the first place. So, the 10 green “marbles” it takes me to tell my mom “I can’t wait to visit you in the summer,” arrive just as I’ve spoken them, lighting fast, regardless of the myriad paths they may have taken to arrive to their final destination – her telephone.  

This analogy makes sense to me, but if you’ve got a better one, I’d love to hear it!

I’ll be writing more of these with the goal of taking the mystery out of business telecommunications – if you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like more information or clarity on, let me know!

 - Megan