Dylanna Fisher
Hold Music From The View Of The Customer differs from a business.
Hold Music brings something to the stresses of being on hold. Being on hold is something that everyone has had to sit through in one way or another. The modern world is built on technology, including a lot of phone calls and, thus, a lot of hold music, whether it’s a simple call to book a doctor’s appointment, a therapy appointment, or a more extended call waiting on the Alberta Government; Music while on hold is everywhere.
When reaching out to customer or technical service representatives, it’s not uncommon to be put on hold. While waiting, you may have noticed soothing background music playing. This is known as Music-On-Hold, MOH, or Phone Hold Music. Its purpose is to alleviate the frustration and boredom of waiting on the phone. The inclusion of hold music is intended to make the wait more manageable and less stressful. By providing a calming soundtrack, customers can better remain patient and composed while their concerns are addressed. Ultimately, hold music is valuable in improving the overall customer service experience.
Is Hold Music Better Than Silence? Really?
Many wonder if hold music is better than silence while waiting for a phone call. The answer is, in fact, yes. Although some hold music may not be the most enjoyable to listen to, it enhances the waiting experience for callers. Without hold music, the silence could cause anxiety or frustration for the caller, leading to a negative overall experience. Therefore, hold music remains a common practice in the customer service industry.
Face it; the average person doesn’t like silence. The reason that Music makes waiting better is that you have something pleasant to focus on. As well, Music makes it seem like less time has passed.
Why is Hold Music Better Than Silence?
“Music is a powerful emotional stimulus that changes our relationship with time. Time does indeed seem to fly when listening to pleasant Music,” Psychology Today explains that “Hearing pleasant Music seems to divert attention away from time processing. Moreover, this attention-related shortening effect appears to be greater in the case of calm Music with a slow tempo.”
The USA Business Telephone Today Center studied the impact of keeping customers on hold with and without Music for one minute to see how their reactions differed. The first group of people, a sample size of 10,000, was placed on hold for one minute in complete silence. It went about as well as you’d expect.
- More than 50% of callers hung up before one minute was over.
- 45% of callers who stayed on the call thought their time was between three and five minutes on hold. This is a much higher amount of time based on their time perception.
Another group of equal size was placed on hold and given the amenity of on-hold music to occupy their time. Interestingly, this group exhibited distinct behaviours compared to the initial group, who were not provided background music during their waiting period.
- Just 13% of people hung up the phone.
- Then 31% of callers thought their total hold time exceeded 60 seconds.
- Over half (56%) of people considered their hold time less than a minute.
Thus with hold music, people are comfortable waiting longer. It simply helps the time pass faster.
Why Does PhoneHold Music Suck?
Although this Music can suck simply because it’s not good quality music, typically, It’s the phone system that’s used instead of the Music.
If the hold music being played during a phone call sounds distorted or low-quality, it is essential to note that this is likely due to a technical limitation of the phone system. Specifically, phone systems are optimized for human voices with a different range and sound profile than music. Therefore, informing the representative on the other end of the line may be helpful if the hold music is unpleasant or difficult to listen to. By doing so, they may be able to adjust the settings or provide alternative music options that are more suitable for the phone system.
Popular Songs Examples
- “Dreaming Of You” By The Coral (2002)
“Proud” By Heather Small (2012) - “Stars” By The Simple Red (2009)
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” By Whitney Houston (1987)
- “Easy” By The Commodores (1977)
- “Für Elise” By Beethoven (1810)
Now, What About You? What Would You Like To Hear While You’re On Hold?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! We are interested in understanding your experience with hold music from a customer’s perspective, and we value your feedback.
Citations Regarding Hold Music From The View Of The Customer
Droit-Volet S, Ramos D, Bueno JL, Bigand E. (2013) Music, emotion, and time perception: the influence of subjective emotional valence and arousal? Front Psychol; 4:417. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00417.
On Hold 32, 2019. Survey results > on hold. OnHold 32. Available at: https://www.onhold32.com/about/survey-results [Accessed September 1, 2021].
