Research Proves Importance of On-Hold Messaging
Healthcare providers receive telephone calls for an endless variety of reasons, and it's inevitable that many of these incoming calls have to be placed on hold. While no one likes to keep patients waiting, it is an unavoidable situation that tests callers' patience. Or does it present a unique opportunity for your organization? Many healthcare providers are taking advantage of on-hold time to present a wide range of information to patients, including doctor biographies, driving directions and holiday greetings.
A Captive Audience
On-hold callers compose a larger audience than many healthcare organizations may realize. A CNN survey estimated that the average American spends approximately 60 hours per year waiting to speak to a live person. Once a call is placed on hold, an average of 43 seconds passes before that call is fielded. This is an excellent time to promote extra services, features and other information that differentiates one organization from its competitors.
Telemarketing Magazine conducted surveys showing that 25% to 40% of callers make purchases based on information they heard while on hold. AT&T research found that 25-30% of callers have purchased additional products or services based on an on-hold sales suggestion. US West Communications determined that on-hold messaging generates a 12% increase in requests for products and services mentioned during the waiting period.
Stay on the Line!
If promotional and additional revenue opportunities do not capture the attention of healthcare providers, improved call abandonment rates certainly will. The odds are stacked against providers who resist hosting on-hold entertainment. AT&T evaluated the abandonment patterns of on-hold callers, and the results discourage on-hold silence. Studies found that 80% of callers with silence on hold hang up within one minute.
Other researchers have discovered similar tendencies toward on-hold call abandonment. In their survey, CNN noted that without music or messages, 70% of callers on hold will hang up and 35% will not call back. The North American Telecommunications Association reported callers with silence on hold will abandon their calls in less than one minute, and 90% hang up within 40 seconds. Callers listening to information while on hold will remain on the line for up to three minutes longer.
Choosing the Industry Leader
Once the decision is made to employ on-hold messaging, providers have a multitude of options from which to choose. Vox On-Hold, TeleVox's on-hold messaging system, continues to present the most comprehensive solution to healthcare providers, offering system flexibility, personalized productions and technical superiority. Vox On-Hold includes message libraries tailored to specific healthcare specialties, and custom messages can be professionally written and recorded to reflect a provider's unique image and personality.
After incorporating systems such as Vox On-Hold, healthcare organizations are able to provide a much more informative and entertaining experience for on hold callers. The increased caller retention from on-hold messaging is paying great dividends within the competitive healthcare industry.
