Dial Tone
The next time you’re calling a company and you’re put on hold, pay attention to the music they’re playing. According to a new study by Georgia State marketing professor Naveen Donthu, chances are if you like the music, you might not mind the wait.
In the first-ever study analyzing the effects of hold music on customer satisfaction, Donthu and professor Anita Whiting of Clayton State College found that the type of music played while customers were placed on hold can positively impact the experience.The study, “Managing Voice-to-Voice Encounters: Reducing the Agony of Being Put on Hold,” was published in the February issue of the Journal of Service Research.
The study also revealed the following:
• Seventy-five percent of respondents who liked the music they were listening to while they were on hold felt they had shorter wait times than those who didn’t like the music.
• Sixty-nine percent of respondents found that information on how long their wait would be did not affect customer satisfaction or their perception of the wait.
• Seventy-two percent of respondents found that information regarding their place in the queue did not have any effect on perceived wait times.
"This research was conducted to study a critical yet under-researched customer touch-point in business," Donthu explains. "The results have several implications for businesses in every industry sector that rely heavily on voice calls when dealing with customers, including telecommunications, financial services and retail."
The study surveyed 234 individuals over an eight-week period, providing respondents with a questionnaire about their experiences while they were waiting to be helped over the phone. Some of the respondents said they liked to hear hold music because they knew they were still connected to the company. On the flipside, the absence of music made them wonder if they had been dropped.