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Most business phone systems have a way to play audio content into the line circuit
while a call is on hold or being transferred. Even if you have a regular telephone,
equipment is available which makes this possible. Since people are naturally receptive
to hearing more about a company they've just called, this presents a valuable marketing
opportunity -- a chance to talk directly to your callers one-on-one -- by playing
entertaining and informative messages to them while they're holding.
For more information:
How Message On Hold Works
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A customized Message On Hold "program" consists of several customized promotional
messages about your business, each from 30 to 45 seconds in length. Your custom
messages are usually alternated with courtesy “thank you for holding” messages,
then mixed over appropriate background music. These messages play consecutively,
in an endless loop, on special equipment connected to your phone system.
For more information:
How Message On Hold Works
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Maintaining variety and keeping your message program fresh and current is the key
to successful on-hold marketing. Because of this, our services are sold on a subscription
basis. Our Message Subscription Plans make keeping your programs up-to-date as easy
as subscribing to a magazine!
With a Message On Hold Subscription Plan, we will create and send you new programs
at your request during the subscription period, up to the number of programs which
are included in the plan. Each program can contain new music and voices. You can
also change as much of the script material as you like from program to program.
We have four different Message On Hold Subscription Plans to choose from. They are
actually all identical, except for the number of programs that are included. Which
plan is best for you depends on the nature of your business — whether you have a
high rate of repeat callers, have frequently changing information, or run frequent
promotions.
For more information:
Message On Hold Subscription Plans
How often should I change my on-hold program?
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The price of a Message On Hold Subscription Plan varies based on how many programs
you'd like to receive over the term of the subscription. We have four different
full-featured Subscription Plans to choose from, with detailed pricing information
right here on our site.
For more information:
Message On Hold Pricing
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You can order your first Message On Hold program by completing a simple online form
which takes you step-by-step through the process of telling us about your company,
your phone equipment, and your messaging needs.
Click here to access this form and get started right now.
If you'd rather, we can take this information over the telephone as well. Call us
at 1-888-939-6865 and you can speak to an account representative who can help you,
and answer any questions you may have.
We also have a great introductory offer for new customers that makes it very easy
to try Message On Hold with no risk! With our Try It In Your Business FREE
promotion, we'll send you your first fully customized Message On Hold program to
try in your business, at no cost, for 30 days!
For more information:
Contact us
Order Message On Hold
Try It In Your Business FREE
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A Message On Hold program turns dead on-hold time into productive marketing time.
It promotes the products and services you offer, helps present a polished, professional
image to your callers, and in a pleasant and entertaining way, encourages callers
to stay on the line until you return.
For more information:
Benefits of Message On Hold
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First, you'd be liable for music royalty fees from ASCAP and BMI, industry watchdog
groups that ensure royalties are paid when someone uses licensed music for commercial
purposes. Second, you have no control over what your callers hear. Don't be surprised
if they end up hearing the Emergency Broadcast System, shock jocks telling jokes
in poor taste, depressing news reports... or even worse, an advertisement for your
competitor!
For more information:
Alternatives to Message On Hold
Staying Legal - About Copyrights, Royalties, and Licensing
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Multiple market studies over several years have shown that Message On Hold is one
of the most effective forms of advertising there is -- even outperforming much more
expensive media like broadcast or print! Nowhere else will you find a 100% targeted,
100% exclusive form of advertising for such a reasonable cost. And, thanks to the
On Hold Network, your Message On Hold advertising is easy to manage, too!
For more information:
On Hold Marketing Studies
Benefits of Message On Hold
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In many cases, part (or even all) of the cost of your Message On Hold program may
be reimbursed by your supplier, vendor, or distributor in the form of co-op advertising
funds. You should contact your supplier directly to inquire about this. Most likely,
your vendor will want to approve your script beforehand. Many vendors provide pre-approved
scripts, or even pre-produced audio content that we can drop into your program.
The On Hold Network will work with your vendor(s) to ensure that any co-op eligible
content conforms to their established rules.
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We have an entire section on our site dedicated to Message On Hold equipment, as
well as a separate FAQ.
For more information:
Message On Hold Equipment
How Message On Hold Players Work
Equipment FAQ
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Absolutely not. If you already have equipment that works, or if you have purchased
equipment elsewhere, you can still order Message On Hold services from us. As part
of our Value-Added services, we will provide your programs in whatever format you
require, for no extra charge.
For more information:
Message On Hold Subscriptions - Value-Added Services
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We can work from any brochures or other marketing materials you provide, as well
as from the information on your web site. One of our account executives may also
call you for a brief interview. The script information is then turned over to one
of our professional copywriters, who will email you a script draft within a few
business days. Once you make any needed adjustments and approve your script, we’ll
go to production, where your script will be read by professional male and female
announcers. From there, your program will be mailed in about seven to ten business
days, though it’s often quicker than that.
For more information:
How Message On Hold Works
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Yes, we have a number of clients who request bilingual programs. While Spanish is
the most often requested language, we’ve also done programs in French, Japanese,
German. Portuguese, and other languages. Bilingual programs carry additional charges,
so you should contact us for pricing details. You may provide us with a script,
or we can have your English-language program translated for a reasonable fee. This
and other extras are available with any Message On Hold subscription. Contact us
for further details or a custom quote.
For more information:
Contact Us
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With most systems, no. Your on-hold program loops continuously, even if no one is
holding. When a caller is put on hold, they start hearing the message at whatever
point it is playing. Because of this, it’s unlikely that a caller would hear the
exact same messages every time they call, unless they hold for a long time or they
are a frequent caller.
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Maintaining variety and keeping your programming fresh and current is the key to
successful on-hold marketing. How often you should do so depends on the nature of
your business. If you're in an industry that has frequent promotions and changing
product information, then you might consider a subscription plan with 6 or 12 updates
over the course of a year. If you have a high repeat-caller rate, then you might
want to change the program frequently as well. If your marketing is seasonal in
nature, then changing your program quarterly would be best.
For more information:
Message On Hold Subscription Plans
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No. We have subscription packages that offer significant discounts (up to 75%) for
additional business locations under a single subscription, as long as the programming
for each location are the same.
For more information:
Message On Hold Pricing
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Yes. Our web site has a demo that can be streamed online and played over your computer
speakers, or downloaded as an MP3 and played offline. You can also request a demo
be sent to you on CD.
For more information:
Listen to a demo
Order a FREE Demo Kit
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Programs can be sent to you on whatever medium you require, including standard cassette,
audio CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, or DAT. Programs may also be sent to you electronically
(e-mail or FTP) as you require, at no additional charge.
Many newer players support MP3, which is a becoming a popular option. Our capabilities
go much further, however; we even support obscure formats used internally by certain
phone systems such as CCITT u-law, Voxware, Dialogic VOX, DSP Group TrueSpeech™,
and many others. Our production facilities can accept and deliver projects in nearly
every existing open-standard format, as well as many current and legacy proprietary
formats. You’ll find our growing list of supported formats in our Resource section.
For more information:
Supported Formats
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Our FREE Media Replacement Plan is one of the value-added features included with
every subscription. Each on hold program is warranted against theft, loss, or defect
for the entire duration of your subscription. If anything happens, just call the
On Hold Network for a free replacement of your CD or standard cassette. You don't
have to pay the whole production fee again just to get a duplicate.
For more information:
Message On Hold Subscriptions - Value-Added features
Order replacement media
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We sure do. American Express, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover are cheerfully accepted,
as well as your business check. Charges to your credit
card appear on your statement as "MusicMedia / OnHold".
For more information:
Store Policies
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Absolutely - we have clients in several US territories, as well as in Canada and
other countries. Payment policies may vary by country.
For more information:
Store Policies
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