On Hold Scripts

On hold scripts are at the core of any on hold productions.  No matter how fancy your on hold equipment is, or how great your voice on hold is, without good on hold scripts you will lose many of the benefits of your music and messages on hold.  There are four scenarios in which on hold script s are typically developed for on hold productions.

  1. You write the script yourself. Unless you have a background in copywriting for voice on hold or voiceover work in general, this is generally not recommended.  Even if you are a great writer, writing on hold scripts for on hold productions is very different for writing content for print or web distribution.
  2. Your on hold company writes the script using staff not trained in copywriting. This is also not desirable for some of the same reasons above.  In fact, if the person writing your script is not a good copywriter, you might be better off writing the script yourself since you will be more familiar with the subject matter for the on hold scripts. Be sure to ask prospective on hold companies if they use trained copywriters familiar with voice on hold work.
  3. Your on hold company writes the on hold scripts using trained copywriters. This is how most on hold productions are handled, and it is definitely the preferred option.  A trained copywriter familiar with voice on hold content, will write your on hold script based on how it will sound, not how it looks on paper.
  4. You hire an independent copywriter and then provide the on hold scripts to your on hold company. With this option you gain the benefits of a professional copywriter, but they may or may not have expertise working with on hold scripts.  They also won’t know exactly how your on hold companies prefer to have their scripts structured, which can lead to avoidable revisions to correct section length, the number of voice on hold sections, caller reassurance messages, etc.  This is also the most expensive option, especially considering hiring a good copywriter for a project like this might mean additional cost of anywhere from 25% to 100% of the cost of the on hold productions themselves.

In summary, we recommend hiring only on hold companies that use trained copywriters to produce your on hold scripts.  Any reputable on hold company will also give you the opportunity to review (and revise if needed) their initial drafts of your on hold scripts.  Ideally you are counting on their expertise in on hold scripts, but if there is something you do not like, do not be afraid to bring it to their attention.  It is much easier and less costly to address any issues before your on hold scripts are finalized for production.

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!