“Every time you look back, you just missed an opportunity that lies ahead.” Unknown

What’s the worst on hold experience you’ve ever had? Were you forced to listen to cringe-worthy instrumental music that reminded you of a funeral home? Or how about someone speaking in a montone about all the exciting things about their business. Or perhaps, the most annoying of all … how about when there’s just dead silence on the other end and you have to keep checking your phone to see if you’re still connected?

Zzzzzz.

Did you know approximately 70 percent of all calls are placed on hold? If callers are left to wait in silence or with generic music, they are 60 percent more likely to hang up after 45 seconds.

Remember, every interaction your prospects have with your business is either bringing them closer to you - or pushing them away. Don’t waste an excellent opportunity by ignoring your customer’s on-hold experience. There are a lot of creative things you can do which is another way to set your business apart (and build your brand).

Below are some on hold scripts of companies doing things differently - and how you can too.

The “Funny Founder” Message

“Hi, this is [founder of the business]. Thanks for calling us. I really appreciate it. Honestly I have no idea why one of my team has not answered the phone yet. I’m hoping it’s not because we have a flood in the bathroom, or that there’s some kind of severe weather warning no one has told me about and everyone has left the building - except me, working alone up here in my office… hmm it doesn’t look dark outside…Well, all this to say again, thank you for calling and honestly if one of my team doesn’t pick up in the next two minutes I’m going to give you my personal email address so that way I can personally make sure you are taken care of.. Meantime while we wait I thought I’d share with you a little story about why I started this company in the first place …”

The “We Don’t Lull You To Sleep With Boring Music” On Hold Message

“Thank you for calling. All of our associates are currently busy assisting other customers but, your call is very important to us. In the mean time, unlike most companies who try to lull you to sleep with boring music or force you to endure endless sales messages, we'd like to occupy your time more effectively. So while you are waiting to speak to us, we hope you enjoy our version of being on-hold and we thought we’d tell you a few jokes …”

The “Relax, I’ll Keep You Company” On Hold Message”

“Thanks for calling us. A real life in-person person will be with your shortly. Well I'm live, of course, but I'm not here right now. I recorded this earlier. And due to the fact that so many of people enjoy our excellent services, you may have to wait for a few. Sorry for that, but it's worth the wait. For now, just sit back and I'll keep you company. It has been proven that the average person falls asleep in about seven minutes. Relax, we don't expect you to fall asleep on us. We'll answer your call much sooner than that. In the mean time, we hope you didn't think this message was a snore..”

The “We Love What You’ve Done With Your Hair” On Hold Message

“Did you know you have to wait two full months for your hair to grow half an inch? So if you were thinking your new 'do would grow out while on hold, you're mistaken, we'll get to your call much sooner than that, and by the way we love what you've done with your hair. Life goes by too fast. Don't you agree? So we thought you would appreciate if we slowed things down and put life on hold for a minute.... There, now isn't that much better? But don't worry. We won't slow things down too much. We'll be with you in just a moment..”

The Takeaway - don’t miss an opportunity to build rapport with your customers by subjecting them to a boring on hold experience. Of course, the best thing is to not have them on hold at all, but if it’s unavoidable, using a bit of honesty and humor in your on hold message is the next best thing.