Image is important to any business.  Everything about a business including the music & messages on hold should reflect the desired image.

From the first moment a customer dials the number to the moment he or she hangs up, a lasting impression is being formed. Was the wait too long? Were there too many rings? Was it unclear if the customer was on hold or been disconnected? Any of these give an unprofessional image that will decrease a customer's satisfaction with a company.

Why Do Music & Messages On Hold Matter?
Some people don't realize how much the music & messages on hold affect their image. However, taking a few moments to think about it, everyone can remember being put on hold either with a complaint or a question.

Listening to a phone ring eight or even ten times before picking up can be stressful, and cause potential or existing customers to wonder if the office is even open. Silence on the other end can also be a problem because it makes a person wonder if they are on hold or disconnected, and unsure whether they should call back and possibly lose their place in line or wait and see.

This stress and frustration can turn a happy or neutral customer into an unhappy customer very quickly. Unhappy customers are harder to make happy again and require more time and resources than if they had remained happy or neutral to begin with.

This is where a small thing such as having the appropriate music & messages on hold takes a role.

Ring Tones Versus Hold
Although there are no studies to cite, personal experience says that listening to a phone pick up and give any variation of the professional message to 'please hold' followed by music is much more soothing to the nerves than a repeated unanswered ring tone. The ring tone makes people feel ignored.

It also presents an unprofessional mental image to the customer of some secretary filing her nails ignoring the phone. Of course, that image is false. The secretary or call handler is doing their best to get through multiple ringing lines but perception does not always follow reality.

These Music on hold devices can be set to automatically answer each line and provide a customized message and music for the prospective customer's wait.

All Images Are Not Equal
Different businesses want to provide different images. A store that specializes in elegant evening gowns or a well known upscale law firm needs music & messages on hold to reflect their corporate image. They would not want the strains of the latest bands or hard rock to represent them to their customers. On the other hand, most game companies and cutting edge fashion stores would not be properly represented by Mozart or other classical pieces.

Devices that can provide customized music & messages on hold are, therefore, preferable to devices that come with a standard limited selection. In fact, a music company might prefer a device that would allow them to use original compositions for their hold music. The iHold Music on hold devices are capable of providing these options on multiple lines.

How Hard Is It?
All Music on hold adapters and player are easy to install. Simply plug the device into the phone jack and the main phone or receptionist's phone is plugged into the device. All other phones remain plugged into their appropriate jack as normal.

Cables and instruction booklet are provided to show how to hook up the chosen source of music to the device. No special tools needed.