Is it my imagination or has the on-hold music/recording volume gone up about 3,000 decibels?
When I call most Customer Service departments these days, I have to take the phone away from my ear when I am placed on hold. The music/recording is usually blaring so loud that the words are barely discernable. Even when I place the music/recording on speakerphone and turn down my phone volume all the way, it is still hardly tolerable.
I know the increased volume of television commercials may be considered an attention-getting strategy, but what does the high-volume on-hold music/recording mean in this case?
At least the folks at Magic Hat Brewing Company are seriously concerned about what their customers hear while on hold (and they figured out a way to have some fun at the same time!). Check out their “Solid Gold On-Hold” contest:
The 2007 On-Hold Solid Gold contest seeks something intriguing to play when people call our brewery and are placed in the telecommunicational purgatory we call “hold.” A recording of some sort with which we might entertain our captive audience. A soundtrack of aural impulses and/or unusual utterances to amuse a waiting public.
It could be anything! Music! Sound Effects! Poetry! Performance! All of the above! Let there be no preconceived notions except one: set your wildest aural exclamation to digital media and send it in. If it’s the one, you’ll win a $1000 Shopping Spree at Small Dog Electronics, our favorite online store for computers, mp3 players and electronic gadgetry. And you’ll receive the esteemed honor of having your recording heard by every soul who dials our phone number and waits for their party to pick up.
NOTE: Polls are still open until 4/20/07 to vote for your favorite submissions.