Have you ever searched for #onhold on Twitter? It’s one of my favorite activities… and it’s not because I work for a company that produces on hold messages, it’s because the #onhold content is some of the funniest, silliest Twitter fodder out there. Here are some on hold fails:
#onhold Fails:
#onhold loving music…NOT. They said my wait could be over 35mins. Yesterday I waited 55mins then got… http://t.co/eh1y5Q5sfr
— John batten (@john_batten) June 14, 2013
That moment when you’re #OnHold, the music crackles, sputters out, you’re so hopeful—until it starts again. 37 mins & counting!
— Amanda Sims (@asimsreport) June 8, 2013
Is it a requirement for all hold music to be absolutely ridiculous? #onhold
— Kendall Sharp (@kendallsharp3) June 7, 2013
I’ve heard the words “becoming an Australian citizen is a way of embracing the Australian way of life” approx 2838 times now. #work #onhold
— N. Baberaham (@tinyapples) July 30, 2013
#onhold WINS! (?)
Lmao #composing #orchestra. #onhold at #work lol. Goofin off. #bethoven #bach #mozart https://t.co/C79WJ2PCoi
— IG; ENoxXxTheHustle (@MistahEQxXx) June 6, 2013
Been listen to porn music for 9 minutes #onhold
— Paul McDowell (@PaoloMcDo) August 6, 2012
It is SO hard trying to stop myself singing out loud at my desk #onhold #tunes #wanasingloudly
— Amanda Louise (@amanda_louise87) August 6, 2013
Orchestral “Dirty Dancing” theme?? #onhold
— Shawna Wagman (@citybitesottawa) July 29, 2013
kinda don’t want to have my call picked up rn, this instrumental is pretty good #onhold
— Andrea Krisowaty (@AndiiiGirl) July 31, 2013
Lessons for you, the marketer:
People are paying attention to what you say on hold.
When you say to a caller, “We’ll be with you in a moment” and a representative doesn’t answer their call for the next half hour, guess what? They are going to be MAD. And then they take to Twitter. If you repeat the same content over, and over, and over, and over, it’s really, really, really annoying. (See what I did there??) If you find that callers are complaining about repetitive music or messages, consider a longer Message On Hold program.
If you try to play music your callers actually like, they just might like it!
Some of these Wins are based on the caller actually enjoying the music playing on hold. Go figure. Now, think about your buyer personas and target customers, and play the kinds of music that they want to hear while they’re waiting on hold. BAM! Instant Success.
You have an opportunity.
If there is any marketing or customer service content you want or need to reinforce (should I say “WHEN there is”?), Message On Hold is a great opportunity to share important information to a group of people who, as these tweets show, are actively listening.
Monitor Twitter
Here’s a stream to add to your social media monitoring: Your brand name or Twitter handle plus #onhold. You might be surprised to see complaints or praises about your on hold programming.
What are you playing to callers waiting on hold? Do you think your Twitter followers will like it? Let us know in the comments.