Telephone & IVR: Message On-Hold

When you reflect on your most pleasant on-hold experiences, what sticks out to you (aside from a short wait time)? Thanks to modern technology, we have more choices when customizing our hold music. Hold music provides entertainment to the caller and helps them know that the line is still active and the bar hasn’t unknowingly dropped. Utilizing voiceover for on-hold messages can be a powerful customer service strategy. 

Some companies even opt to give their callers the option of what genre they’d like to listen to while on hold. However, even if the soundtrack for the evening is perfectly curated, you will likely still want your callers to hear a human voice now and then. Callers may find it reassuring to have a voice remind them of their position in the queue or estimated wait time or simply tell them that their call is important and will be answered soon.

Professional Voiceover for Professional Message On Hold

Professional voice actors can record custom messages for your on-hold system. For the best of both worlds, you can mix spoken hold messages with hold music. Depending on your business needs, it might make sense to use this space to bring up current sales or promotions, direct listeners to your social media accounts, or provide other essential brand messages. You can even use this time to answer common questions that customers may have when phoning in—who knows, and you may successfully save them a phone call. 

A professional voice actor can provide you with a polished voiceover and music for your “on-hold” system. When callers reach your business or organization, they will be greeted by well-trained, friendly, and professional customer service agents. Set your employees up for success by offering a warm welcome before your callers are connected. 

You might be thinking to yourself, “but wait a minute—what’s a big deal? Why can’t I just record my voice recording for hold messages or ask a team member to do it? How can I produce recordings and music for my old system?”

To this, we say, not so fast. While we don’t doubt that you’re a person of many talents, some things are just better left to the professionals. Hold messages are one of these things. Think about it this way—when a customer or client calls your phone number, they’re not just calling to say hi. They likely have a concern or a question, and sometimes these can be pretty sensitive. 

As you can imagine, asking an individual who is already in an anxious state of mind to wait can be challenging. You should approach it in the calmest, most professional way possible. Voice actors are trained to speak with clarity and reassurance and can create a welcoming atmosphere that is felt subconsciously. This is especially true when working with a female voice-over artist, as research has found that listeners find female voices the most trustworthy.

Maria Pendolino’s flexible work schedule and access to a state-of-the-art home studio have made all of the difference in her career. A multi-talented voiceover actor with more than a decade’s worth of experience, Maria works in a variety of genres, including commercials, animation, corporate training, e-learning, and of course, telephone recordings.

Maria can provide the perfect on-hold recording that fits your brand’s unique identity. From her professional home studio, she can work with you to record messages for your on-hold system that synchronize wonderfully with your company’s other communications. Maria has access to a wide range of equipment that helps her create a finished product ready for broadcast (no assembly required on your end).

As a self-employed freelancer, Maria has complete control over her schedule and can often work with fast turnaround times. If you’d like to learn more about Maria’s voice acting style, check out her demos or, better yet, request a live audition. Maria is happy to provide a script read free of charge. This will help paint an accurate picture and help you with your casting decision.