BusinessVoice News
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No one wants to wait on hold. Yet, each day, companies all across the country force their valuable callers into a void of on hold silence. Or they make their customers and prospects listen to the same 60-second loop of music, interrupted only by the redundant and pointless reminder that “your call is important to us.”
That’s no way to treat the people who keep you in business.
At BusinessVoice, we respect your callers’ time, providing information they can apply to make smarter buying decisions. In other words, we serve you by serving your callers.
One of the ways we elevate the caller experience is by creating custom Humor On Hold. Take a listen to these four examples, all winners of a 2022 MarCom Award.
Top left: Lakeland Auto and Marine won the Platinum award.
Top right: Downey PHCE won a Gold award.
Bottom left: Binkelman Corporation won a Gold award.
Bottom right: Wellington Implement won an honorable mention.
To put Humor On Hold to work for your brand, call 800/473-9005 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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BusinessVoice was a double winner at the 2022 MARCE Awards ceremony, presented by The Experience Marketing Association (EMA).
Our Humor On Hold for Wellington Implement earned the trophy for the Most Entertaining On Hold Marketing production, as well as a Judge's Choice award.
One judge wrote that our work "made me want to listen to the next message all the way through."
Another judge noted that "This is very entertaining. The situations really enhance the brand."
Creative Consultant Daniel DiManna and Chief Creative Officer Scott Greggory co-wrote the copy. Scott also provided the voiceover. Josh Jump served as recording engineer.
The EMA presents the MARCE Awards each year to honor the year's best On Hold Marketing.
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The BusinessVoice team won a 2022 Communicator Award of Excellence for a Humor On Hold production we created for Lakeland Auto and Marine. The audio, captured in the video above, is titled “What’s This Sound?”
Communicator Award entries are judged by members of the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The panel consists of professionals from media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. Members represent major organizations, including Amazon, Conde Nast, Disney, ESPN, GE Digital, Spotify, The Wall Street Journal and Wired.
Our Chief Creative Officer Scott Greggory wrote the winning work. He and Amy Scott provided the voiceover. Chris Zaharias served as the Recording Engineer.
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“When I would be at conventions, I’d tell people about the kind of On Hold Messaging we have. Then, when I was out in Vegas one time, I called back to the office and had myself put on hold so the people at the convention could hear it. And they were laughing because it’s just so funny. Your service is very valuable to us.” That’s a quote from Dan Kazmierczak, CEO of Binkelman, and a long-time believer in Humor On Hold™ from BusinessVoice. Dan knows first-hand how his customers respond positively to a creative and memorable caller experience. • Platinum MarCom Award: Binkelman Corp. - "The Binkelman Bus Tour" Listen to the winning work in the videos. |
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In April of 2021, the Wall Street Journal called on BusinessVoice - and a few of our clients - for insight into the caller experience.
For the May 20th online article, “How Companies Make Sure You Don’t Hang Up When You’re on Hold,” writer Dan Weil explained the different options available to companies, from “music, marketing and informational messages, humor, silence and an option to get a call back.”
Weil quoted our founder: “Businesses with successful hold programs ‘look at it as part of their overall marketing plan,’ says Jerry Brown, president of BusinessVoice, a firm that helps companies create those programs. ‘You have to look at it not just as a selling tool, but more importantly as a customer experience tool.’”
Weil noted that, “if customers are calling to make a purchase, there is no harm describing products and prices, industry pros say. But it very much depends on the type of company. For certain services, a softer branding message is more suitable. ‘If I’m calling Apple to buy something, I would expect to hear about products,’ Mr. Brown says. ‘But if I’m calling a nursing home to talk about whether my mom might go there and I get hard-sell marketing messages, that’s not so good.’”
A Funny Take
The article also referenced our unique use of Humor On Hold.
“[BusinessVoice client] Binkelman, an industrial-parts distributor based in Toledo, Ohio, has taken the comedic route for its on hold customers. Callers to Binkelman are often put on hold, and the company wants to keep them entertained. It’s about finding humor in products that aren’t sexy - bearings, belts, hoses. (Listen to a sample.)
“Some outsiders might find a few of the jokes off-color, but the company’s customers love them, says marketing manager Rebecca Conrad. ‘We’re in a mostly male industry, where guys like NASCAR and Bud Light,’ Ms. Conrad says. Customers often call just to get put on hold, so they can hear the jokes, she says.
A recent example: “Thanks for calling Binkelman, where we’re changing lives with our pioneering approach to male-pattern baldness,” the voice says. “We slice ContiTech Insta-Grip 300 Push-On Hose into thin strips to make fun toupees that look and feel like the mane of a real donkey. Choose from three colors and four scents. Then, just staple your new rug into place and blammo! People will like you again. Ask for the Binkelman wig shop.”
Learn more about On Hold Marketing and the value of Humor On Hold.
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Our Humor On Hold continues to stand out! We earned a pair of Communicator Awards of Excellence during the 2021 competition.
"Jack," the work we created for Binkelman Corporation, begins with an interview with a donkey and continues with several unusual segments.
"Hold It!" is a game show parody brought to life for Lakeland Auto and Marine.
Listen to the winning productions in the videos above.
BusinessVoice is the world's most awarded On Hold Marketing provider. We've earned more than 130 awards for creative and marketing excellence.
The Communicator Awards is an international awards program that recognizes big ideas in marketing and communications. The show is overseen and judged by members of the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an invitation-only organization of leading professionals from various forms of traditional and interactive media.
