Specialized Options: Music On Hold & Music on Transfer
Music on Hold
Most people dislike being on hold, but Music on Hold—which lets callers hear music whenever you place them on hold—makes it a little more pleasant. In fact, research shows that music indeed has power not only to "charm the savage beast," but also to keep your callers in a better frame of mind.
A busy department with many incoming lines will find Music on Hold a valuable tool in managing calls. But Music on Hold can also help faculty and staff members manage calls on individual lines.
Choose from four music channels: classical, smooth jazz, new age, and soft hits (see sidebar for descriptions). The music is continually new and non-repeating. If you wish, you can also integrate custom announcements into the music program.
You can access Music on Hold either by pressing the "Hold" key on multiline sets, or by pressing the Link/Flash key (or switch hook if Link/Flash not available on set), then *99, on single-line sets.
Music on Transfer
A complement to Music on Hold, Music on Transfer lets callers hear music while you transfer a call or initiate a three-way call. Subscribers to both Music on Hold and Music on Transfer pay a bundled package rate-less than the monthly rate for each service alone.
Classical music is currently the only option for Music on Transfer.
Music Choices
You can choose one of four different channels for Music on Hold or Music on Transfer:
Classical: Famed melodic pieces from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods
Samples:
1
2
3
Smooth Jazz: Top contemporary jazz artists featuring ultra-smooth instrumentals and vocals
Samples:
1
2
3
New Age: Soothing sounds in a balance of acoustic and electric for perfect relaxation
Samples:
1
2
3
Soft Hits: A blend of contemporary and easy-listening pop favorites
Samples:
1
2
3
Note: Also see Custom Announcement on Hold
Benefits
How many times has a receptionist handling multiple incoming calls had to deal with callers who, irritated with being placed on hold, hung up after a few moments or hung up and then called back to express their irritation? Providing music for your callers when you must put them on hold-or while you transfer their call or initiate a three-way call-not only increases their "wait" tolerance, but also lets them know the call is still in process. Studies have shown that
- a high percentage of callers prefer music or announcements to silence
- while almost all callers with silence on the line will hang up in less than a minute, callers with music will stay on the line for a longer period of time
- callers with music on hold actually perceive the time spent on hold as shorter than callers who hear only silence
Your choice of music can reinforce how you'd like your department perceived by the public.
How to Order
To sign up for Music on Hold and/or Music on Transfer, you should order online at the IT Services Site. For more information about getting access to or using the IT Services Site, see the help pages at IT Services Site Help.
Note: You can have one or both features on the same phone. All of the telephone numbers on the phone will have the feature that is, there is no option to have the features active on only select lines on the set.
Rates
For rates, please see Optional System Features on the Rates Page.
