New "formatics" (industry jargon for "format elements") include our copyrighted four-part message construction, action requests, empathy building "buffer" messages, and a whole new way of actually integrating the messages into the music - using the music to punctuate and augment the messages to drive copy points home. No other "on-hold" producer offers such advantages.

From a technical standpoint, we analyzed the frequency response curves of seventeen different telephone transmision combinations (landline, satellite, microwave, fiber, etc.) and 23 of the most popular telephone systems (Toshiba, Nortel, Comdial, AT&T, Vodavi, Norstar, Lucent, etc.) to determine the actual quality and intelligibility of the sound coming from the telephone speaker. We then developed special recording equipment and digital equalization methods to create sound that would compliment the equipment and transmission methods instead of fighting them. This resulted in the creation of what we call Ultra-Sonic sound -sound that is far cleaner, more crisp and easier to understand than the transmission methods would normally allow.

We also researched competing "on-hold production companies" and discovered that most have no idea how to record audio for telephone listening. Most of it is recorded for listening through regular speakers attached to regular stereo systems. The fact is that telephone audio is completely different than "regular" audio and must be recorded, "processed" and transmitted in a totally unique way.

Our investigations of competing companies also revealed that the majority uses only one piece of music per program and usually relatively repetitious light jazz. Such a formatic can actually help to lull a caller on hold into such a mental stupor that he or she actually misses most of your sales messages. We developed music with built in style and tempo changes every few seconds to aggressively recapture the callers attention and bring him or he back "into" the telephone to hear your messages.

Our staff can make "hold" a positive place for your callers to be by eliminating "tune out factors," and creating a fun, interesting and exciting hold environment.

Your on-hold programming must be excited about your business and communicate that emotion to your callers. Otherwise, your on-hold marketing effort may be lost.

Some of the other elements we carefully scrutinize include:

• Music type - does it fit your callers?
• Announcer attitude - does it fit the copy?
• Program flow - does the announcer's pace fit the music?
• Volume of the music under the messages - too loud?
• Male vs female voices for your particular situation
• The type of telephone equipment you have
• Your current advertising campaign
• Cost vs other vendors on a feature by feature basis

What it all boils down to is this:

Messages-On-Hold can be your best line of defense against the "hang-up." If a caller hangs up while on hold, you probably will never know it. Research indicates that in the year 2002 US businesses lost almost a hundred billion (yes, with a "B") dollars because of poor telephone practices. It's amazing that a company will spend millions of dollars advertising its product and encouraging people to call, and when they do, they hear an awful voice-mail program recorded by "anyone they could grab in the hall" followed by dull, bad sounding messages on hold, or worse, a radio or even dead air.

Isn't it time to get serious about your hold button? When you put a caller on hold, your image really is "on the line."

Don't trust your business to anyone but the pros at Hold On AMERICA. We've been doing it right for over twenty years.