際際滷

際際滷Share a Scribd company logo

Easy On Hold - Article on MLive

Easy On Hold
Easy On Hold

Julie Cook and her husband Tim Brown own Easy On Hold, a company based in Portage, Michigan that provides customized on-hold messaging to over 3,000 business clients. They have grown their small business from just the two of them in 2007 to now employing eight full-time staff. Their on-hold messages aim to make the time customers spend waiting on hold more productive by providing useful information rather than just generic messages. Their clients include businesses across the U.S. and overseas like a hotel in Bangkok.

1 of 1
Download to read offline
Public Schools, the voice may sound familiar. Julie Cook, president and owner of Easy On Hold速 in Portage, supplies the vocal prompts navigating callers through the phone tree. You can even hear her in Thailand: Shes the voice of the City Hotel in Bangkok. She and her husband, Tim Brownwho you can hear if you call Gordons Food Serviceshave turned a converted house at 1918 W. Milham Ave. into a studio capable of cre- ating between 15 and 30 productions on a given day. In 2007, Easy On Hold速 had two employees: Cook and Brown. Brown, who is vice president, is in charge of pro- duction, while Cook runs the sales side, the husband-and- wife team explained. Today, it has eight full-time employ- ees and two writers on retainer to support the firms 3,000 clients. Cook estimated that the business has grown by 10 percent a year for the past four years. Part of that is a changing business dynamic that wants to take advantage of every customer interaction, Cook ex- plained. Instead of a Muzak速 loop punctuated by the traditional soothing statement, Your call is very important to us, busi- nesses today try to make the time callers spend on hold more productive for both parties. Lets admit it: Hitting the hold button is not something any business wants to do, said Cook. Instead of say- ing your call is important, maybe we can offer something concrete that really is important. How can we give you more information, give you hip music to listen to and not insult your intelligence? Cook summed up the problem with the old Your call is very important to us line: If it were so important, why am I still on hold? Enter Easy on Hold速, which Brown founded in 1997 after waiting to make a reservation at a restaurant. The eatery was playing a local radio station, which happened to be running an ad for different restaurant. Brown, who ended up eating at the competition that evening, sensed a busi- ness opportunity. He started offering free demos, knowing from his radio background that spec spots sell. Internet players mean that hold messages can get much closer to live than in the days of the recorded loop, Brown said, with some of their clients offering day of specials to callers. After Hurricane Sandy hit, New York- and New Jersey-based businesses used Easy On Hold速 to let callers know how their hours would be affected and where callers could get service in the meantime until the business was able to reopen. All service companies need to look at every opportunity to provide good service, said Cook, who recommended that executives put themselves on hold with their own company, so that they can experience it from a callers point of view. If Im a busy call center, Ive got thousands of people on hold every day, said Cook. What a loss for the caller if theyre not getting anything else. Julie Cook records a message for a client at Easy On Hold速 at 1918 W. Milham Ave. in Portage. Portages Easy On Hold速 Can Be Heard From Kalamazoo To Bangkok By Yvonne Zipp | yzipp@mlive.com People want to hear it before they commit to buying it. How do you know what youre getting? said Brown. The other thing he said set Easy On Hold速 apart in the early days was promising a three-day turnaround. The goal was to come up with a good quality product, but get it in a timely fashion, said Brown. With digital delivery, shipping time no longer needs to be factored in, Brown said. Easy on Hold速, which moved into its current offices in 2003, also keeps its archives online, so that clients can view, edit and approve scripts online. 息 MLive.com. All rights reserved. PORTAGE, MI If you call the Kalamazoo Public Library, Norwegian Cruise Lines or the Portage

More Related Content

Easy On Hold - Article on MLive

  • 1. Public Schools, the voice may sound familiar. Julie Cook, president and owner of Easy On Hold速 in Portage, supplies the vocal prompts navigating callers through the phone tree. You can even hear her in Thailand: Shes the voice of the City Hotel in Bangkok. She and her husband, Tim Brownwho you can hear if you call Gordons Food Serviceshave turned a converted house at 1918 W. Milham Ave. into a studio capable of cre- ating between 15 and 30 productions on a given day. In 2007, Easy On Hold速 had two employees: Cook and Brown. Brown, who is vice president, is in charge of pro- duction, while Cook runs the sales side, the husband-and- wife team explained. Today, it has eight full-time employ- ees and two writers on retainer to support the firms 3,000 clients. Cook estimated that the business has grown by 10 percent a year for the past four years. Part of that is a changing business dynamic that wants to take advantage of every customer interaction, Cook ex- plained. Instead of a Muzak速 loop punctuated by the traditional soothing statement, Your call is very important to us, busi- nesses today try to make the time callers spend on hold more productive for both parties. Lets admit it: Hitting the hold button is not something any business wants to do, said Cook. Instead of say- ing your call is important, maybe we can offer something concrete that really is important. How can we give you more information, give you hip music to listen to and not insult your intelligence? Cook summed up the problem with the old Your call is very important to us line: If it were so important, why am I still on hold? Enter Easy on Hold速, which Brown founded in 1997 after waiting to make a reservation at a restaurant. The eatery was playing a local radio station, which happened to be running an ad for different restaurant. Brown, who ended up eating at the competition that evening, sensed a busi- ness opportunity. He started offering free demos, knowing from his radio background that spec spots sell. Internet players mean that hold messages can get much closer to live than in the days of the recorded loop, Brown said, with some of their clients offering day of specials to callers. After Hurricane Sandy hit, New York- and New Jersey-based businesses used Easy On Hold速 to let callers know how their hours would be affected and where callers could get service in the meantime until the business was able to reopen. All service companies need to look at every opportunity to provide good service, said Cook, who recommended that executives put themselves on hold with their own company, so that they can experience it from a callers point of view. If Im a busy call center, Ive got thousands of people on hold every day, said Cook. What a loss for the caller if theyre not getting anything else. Julie Cook records a message for a client at Easy On Hold速 at 1918 W. Milham Ave. in Portage. Portages Easy On Hold速 Can Be Heard From Kalamazoo To Bangkok By Yvonne Zipp | yzipp@mlive.com People want to hear it before they commit to buying it. How do you know what youre getting? said Brown. The other thing he said set Easy On Hold速 apart in the early days was promising a three-day turnaround. The goal was to come up with a good quality product, but get it in a timely fashion, said Brown. With digital delivery, shipping time no longer needs to be factored in, Brown said. Easy on Hold速, which moved into its current offices in 2003, also keeps its archives online, so that clients can view, edit and approve scripts online. 息 MLive.com. All rights reserved. PORTAGE, MI If you call the Kalamazoo Public Library, Norwegian Cruise Lines or the Portage