On Hold Productions

On hold productions may seem like they are all produced the same way, but they do vary among the different on hold companies.  Most providers set specific time or word limits on their on hold productions.  On average, on hold productions tend to be between between 2-6 minutes in length.  Typical on hold scripts tend to be between 200-400 words, and are made up of anywhere from three to nine short paragraphs about the company or organization.  In most on hold productions, the music is always playing, but is faded into the background during each voiceover section.  Those various voiceover sections also have anywhere from 5-20 seconds of music by itself between the voice on hold sections.

On Hold Productions – A Suggested Strategy:

Some on hold companies try to incorporate as many details as possible into their on hold productions and on hold scripts. For most companies however, their average hold time is less than one minute.  And in many cases their average hold time is less than 30 seconds.  If a company implements a very long script incorporating a large variety of details, most callers are unlikely to hear the most important content.

As a result, we recommend including only the most vital information into on hold scripts.  By most vital, we mean information that is both valuable for the company to convey (particular products or services it might want to draw attention to), and information that will be valuable to the caller.  This results in on hold productions much more focused on the important things, rather than just information without as much purpose.  The end result, when a caller hears your music and messages on hold during that 10, 20 or 30 seconds they might be on hold, they are much more likely to hear information they need, or that will more directly benefit your organization.  In short, more focused on hold productions are more beneficial to you and your callers!

Still have more music on hold questions not covered on our site? Visit our “Ask The Music On Hold Expert” page and post your question online!