You’ve told your callers that you appreciate their patience for holding, but have you really thanked them? A great way to show your appreciation for their patience while on hold is to reward them with a free gift. There’s several ways you can approach this, and best of all, the following methods will help you recognize how effective message on hold can really be.
Method 1 – Direct Offer
Mention in one of your messages that you appreciate your caller’s time and patience while holding and that’s why you’ll throw in a free pen, mug, promotional product, or any other item of your choice to their order. All they have to do is mention they heard your offer while holding. If your business sells services instead of tangible products, you can offer your callers a percentage off their service. It’s something unexpected that your callers will certainly appreciate.

Keep in mind that for most message on hold systems, the recordings loop indefinitely. When a caller is placed on hold, they may start listening at any point during the recording. A caller who is on hold for 30 seconds might hear the offer, while a caller that has been on hold for 2 minutes might never get to the offer. It’s just a matter of chance.

Here’s a sample message:
“As a token of our appreciation for your patience while holding, we will give you 10 percent off your purchase. When we return to the line, simply mention to your customer service representative that you heard this offer while on hold and we will deduct 10 percent from your total. Your call is important to us and we truly value your time and patience during this delay.”

Method 2 – Interactive Trivia
When your callers are waiting on hold, take the opportunity to make their experience more interactive and fun. Make it more challenging for them to win a free gift by asking them trivia questions. Have your callers answer the question when your representatives return to their call. If they answer correctly, you can throw in a promotional product with their order, or you can give them a percentage off their service.

Any caller has the possibility of hearing your offer for a free gift with Method 1, but if you want to reward your customers more sparingly, this second option might be best for you. The neat aspect about this option is you can even ask trivia questions about your company to see how well your callers really know you.

Here’s a sample message:
“Let’s play some trivia! Can you believe the inventor of the telephone never phoned his wife or his mother? They were both deaf! Would you be able to tell us who invented the telephone when we return to the line? If you answer correctly, we’ll give you 10 percent off your purchase. Thank you for holding….we’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Next time you create a new message on hold production, incorporate one of the above methods into your script and truly show some gratitude to your callers. They’ll receive a free gift and you’ll reap the rewards.