Project your desired business image on the telephone

In today’s world of business we all rely on the phone far more than in any other era. There are some things you can’t control. Much of what you can do on the phone is at the mercy of Telecoms and your phone service provider.

However there is one important feature on your business phone where you have complete control and that is your Telephone Messages.

It really is more than important, because a great deal of the success you achieve with your customers often comes down to how they interact with the messages they hear when they call.

People want to feel they are dealing with an organisation where the customer is king. They also want to know your company is thoroughly professional, organised and progressive.

The very sound and wording of your Telephone Messages can convince a caller that you possess a customer-caring attitude and the professionalism they expect.

A few dozen words will put customers in the picture

If as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, a few well-chosen sentences can effectively communicate the benefits of staying one of your valued clients.

Telephone Messages should not be long-winded spiels full of intricate details on the ins and outs of your operations. They need to be succinctly written parcels of useful information.

Customers don’t want to hear you gas-bagging on about irrelevant topics. They want to hear only what interests them in their dealings with your company.

It’s not just what you say it is also how it is said

As nice as your voice may be, you are probably not a professional voice over artist! So when you are creating any Telephone Messages its best to call on the services of a professional voice talent.

The “pro” has the training and experience to inject the sincerity needed in the read without it coming out sounding forced or OTT. If there is a little humour in the script he or she will interpret that without any ham overtones.

Sourcing the best script and the right voice

Because your company’s Telephone Messages play such a vital role in your communications with customers, it’s essential to have the scripts prepared by an experienced writer.

Media Group, the business audio specialists have a team of writers able to assist in creating interesting and informative scripts in accordance with your instructions.

When you have approved the wording in the Telephone Messages you can go online and select a male of female professional voice artist from the line up offered by Media Group.

You can also choose a music track to be used in the production and then leave the rest to the studio producers at Media Group. It is a simple online process and you control everything from your home or office.

Start today by going to www.mediagroup.com.au

Your onhold program needs to project the right image

When an incoming call is placed in the queue, are you sure the On Hold Message is conveying the correct image of your company? Does the voice sound professional? Is the content informative about your products and services? And is it up to date?

There’s no value in telling callers about your Christmas holiday hours when you are about to take a break for Easter! This sort of oversight merely gives clients and potential customers the impression that you don’t have your finger on the pulse.

Choose an experienced voice artist

Probably the biggest mistake made with any On Hold Message has to do with the choice of voice used. Of course you must use a professional voice over talent.

Never scrimp on the budget by getting an amateur to do the recording. There is a real art to reading a script. It’s a combination of natural ability, training and years of experience.

Think of it like hiring someone to build a brick wall. Much of the expertise of the trade professional will be invisible. You can’t see the depth and quality of the footing, but a good foundation is critical. While any bricks out of alignment might mar the overall appearance, they are not going to cause the wall to topple over.

Media Group, the business audio specialists provide a wide choice of professional male and female voice talent. You can hear samples of their previous work online. This will help you to select the voice artist you think has the tone and style that best projects the image you desire for your business.

Create an informative and entertaining onhold program

For those busy times when you put callers onhold, you need to be sure that any On Hold Message they hear will help to keep them on the line.

The whole purpose of the onhold program is to prevent callers from hanging up the phone and taking their business elsewhere.

Media Group know it is essential you keep each caller interested and entertained. Their team of copywriters will work with you and the information you provide to craft scripts that will amuse, entertain and educate callers about your company.

Each On Hold Message they create will inform callers about your current products and planned new releases. They will include your location, parking, public transport, hours of operation, seasonal breaks and special services.

In between and underscoring each individual On Hold Message callers will hear music. The music will feature tracks you have selected from the Media Group library of Royalty Free Music.

The net result is more happy customers and fewer callers hanging up. Find out how you can project the image you want for your business as a professional, progressive and client oriented operation. Enquire about an onhold program written, produced and professionally voiced by Media Group.

Go to www.mediagroup.com.au

Beware of the ones that get away

If callers are hanging-up when you ask them to stay on the line, it’s a sign they are not hearing a Message On Hold that is interesting and informative.

Keeping callers from hanging up the phone is a bit like fishing. You know you have the right bait because the fish keep on biting. What you don’t have is the right hook! A flick of the head, a swish of the tail and they’re off the line.

Your onhold program is the only defence you have to prevent clients and new customers from hanging up and taking their business to your competitors.

It’s vital that with every Message On Hold in the program you give callers a reason to stay. Once they drop the phone they are just as likely to drop you! And more likely to never give you a second chance.

And another one bites the dust

Let’s imagine the phone rings and it’s a particularly busy time. Staff are dealing with other customers so the phone system plays the Welcome Message and next the caller is placed in the queue and listening to a Message On Hold.

Research has shown that the first thing that happens to a person on hold is they lose all perception of time. Even if they are on hold for less than a minute they’ll tell you “I’ve been waiting for hours”.

It’s human nature to complain about an unsatisfactory service experience. Unfortunately it’s rare for someone to make a compliment when something good happens. This applies even if the service given is way above expectations. People love to whinge!

The problem of a bad onhold experience is compounded when the complaints start. It’s hard enough losing one customer, but when others are scared off when hearing about the problem, the whole debacle snowballs. All for the sake of a Message Onhold that didn’t keep the original caller interested or entertained.

Nip the problem in the bud

Take a long critical listen to the program callers are hearing when you place them onhold. If you have to ring your front desk and ask to be put onhold do it!

As you hear the first Message Onhold try to imagine yourself as a client or a new business prospect. Are you going to be content to stay on the line? Or are you going to contact Media Group, the business audio specialists, and get an effective onhold program of music and messages?

Media Group are ready to demonstrate how your onhold program should sound. For starters you can get a Message Onhold sample absolutely free.

All the details are on the Media Group website. Plus you can find out all about package prices, voice over artists, Royalty Free Music and how easily you can keep your Onhold program up-to-date and interesting.

Don’t let the next caller off the hook! Head to www.mediagroup.com.au

Some voices just don’t cut the mustard

Sometimes you’ll hear a voice on a TV or radio commercial and think it sounds so wrong for the product or sponsor. You’ll wonder how they managed to make such a mistake choosing that voice for the role.

Was it a case of Producer Wax-in-the-Ear syndrome? Was the Director having a big hissy-fit and failed to realise the error? Was it some one’s cousin who got the job?

Or was it that old problem of a copywriter overstepping. Getting involved with selecting the talent instead of sticking to the role of writing scripts and not meddling in casting?

When it comes to choosing Voce Over Artists accidents do happen. There are examples a plenty being broadcast as you read. So the question remains, how can such calamities be avoided in future?

The fine art of matching the voice to the mood

As the weary copywriter struggles to meet the impossible deadline for the script the wheels should already be in motion to choose the best voice.

When it comes to evaluating the Voice Over Artists who may be suitable for any particular role, keep in mind well trained and experienced professional voice talent are like chameleons. They quickly adapt to surroundings and blend to fit into the type and style of read required.

However there is no one size fits all when it comes to Voice Over Artists. They may appear similar but all have different abilities. Some will struggle to play a serious and sombre character. While others will have you weeping by the third line.

Audition online - hear samples of previous work by voice actors

When the decision rests in your corner you’ll find nothing beats hearing recordings of previous performances of the available Voice Over Artists.

Media Group, the business audio specialists know there’s truth in the adage “hearing is believing”. For that reason they have assembled hundreds of voice samples on the Media Group website.

To facilitate your search for the right voice the sample recordings are categorised by gender, age group, style of read and country (language).

Without leaving the comfort of your office or armchair you can begin narrowing the choice of Voice Over Artists for your next project.

Get an online quote for the voice of your choice

Media Group provide an amazing range of professional male and female Voice Over Artists. When you have listened to the samples online and decided on a favourite or two ask for an online quote.

If you have any little doubts about your chosen talent being able to deliver the read you require, request a free demo. Media Group will arrange to have your preferred voice talent read a short extract from one of your scripts.

The only provision is that you must be going to record a script or scripts that will run a total of at least 60 seconds.

There’s never been a better way to choose the right voice. So don’t be left dangling. Head to www.mediagroup.com.au

There is an art in the choice of voice

Too often, the audio component of a TV commercial or corporate video is treated as an afterthought. That’s risky. In fact it can often lead to totally undermining the impact of the work.

In most cases it will be the Voiceover that has missed the mark. There may be nothing amiss with the quality of the voice, however for some reason listeners will feel that it’s not quite right.

This is an all too common problem, but one that is easily rectified. Unfortunately the budget is often cited as the culprit. Not true. The price of the Voiceover will most likely be the norm for the industry. Payment will be “to scale” whether you elect to use this voice or that voice.

The real reason for the failure is simply the wrong voice has been chosen!

Learning to listen with a critical ear

Let us imagine you are creating a new corporate video. The scriptwriter has indicated the Voiceover should be a female with an authoritative delivery style.

Where do you begin looking for such a voice. You might generally associate a female Voiceover as warm and friendly or light hearted and bubbly.

While recognising the professional Voiceover artist is trained to adapt to the script, sometimes this just won’t happen. The quality of the voice might be too light to achieve the gravity required.

Despite the best attempts, the Voiceover will still end up sounding forced and unnatural.

We hear this in male voices everyday on local TV. Every station promo from the trailer for a murder mystery to the latest cook-off championship is delivered with an abundant degree of forced gravitas.

Even a web address will carry the longest ever “dot coorrm dot a uuuuuu”. The result is a sameness that undermines the message and ruins any credibility.

The world of voices is just a click away

Today the quest to find the right voice has been made more convenient by Media Group, the business audio specialists.

On the media Group website you can audition hundreds of Voiceover samples recorded by voice artists from around the globe. You’ll hear samples from all over Australia, New Zealand, the Asia Pacific, the UK, Europe and America.

To facilitate your search the sample recordings have been classified by gender, age, nationality and style of read e.g. Radio/TV, Corporate, Telephone Message.

When you have narrowed your search to a favourite or two you can ask for an online quote and make sure you’re on budget.

Then if you are planning to record a script or scripts of a minimum sixty seconds in length, you can request a free demo.

Media Group will arrange for your preferred Voiceover to read an extract from your script. When the recording is complete you will receive a link to go online and review the free demo.

Find the Voiceover you need at www.mediagroup.com.au

Unlock the power of today's business telephone

Modern commercial telephone systems have an amazing array of features. These facilities permit a company to provide excellent service to incoming calls from both new customers and prospective new clients.

VOIP systems (Voice Over Internet Protocol) are so efficient they add a new level of privacy for incoming calls and greatly reduce the workload on internal staff.

In the past even playing a simple Message Onhold required additional equipment. Today business phones have most functions built-in. They may be re-programmed or updated online.

Reducing incoming caller hang-ups

Correctly used, the features of a new VOIP system will greatly enhance your company image as a well-run, technology savvy organisation. More importantly such a system can help reduce the number of callers who might hang up and go elsewhere. This especially true when they call you after hours or during those extra busy times.

Calls can be greeted with a pre-recorded Welcome Message. This message if well-written and read by a professional voice artist can set the right mood and create a great first impression. As we all know, in business first impressions count.

If you have a number of departments you may install an Auto Attendant message to direct callers to the person or extension they require. For Sales press 1, etc.

However it is the Message Onhold feature that is most effective in keeping a caller on the line.

Placing a caller Onhold is no longer a death sentence

There was a time, not too far back, when asking a caller to “hold the line” was a sure way to chase them off to your competitor.

As time progressed callers became used to the idea and even tolerated the inane computer chimes the systems played. But they continued to hang-up and vanish.

The systems upgraded to classical selections. Then someone suggested adding messages as well. Companies went to the next step of recording a Message Onhold and installing machines to replay the message.

It was usually an apologetic statement about how much the call meant and a vague promise to get back to the caller ASAP.

Finally a better way emerged. At Media Group, the business audio specialists the Message Onhold has been perfected as part of a total package.

Now the caller is informed and entertained with a series of messages containing interesting information about the company and its products or services.

Now callers hold to hear your customised messages

Media Group will provide the most comprehensive package of messages to help keep callers from hanging up. Plus you’ll see lots of ways to exploit the full potential of your telephone system.

Start by discussing your system’s capabilities. See how you can take advantage of expertly written and recorded messages featuring your choice of professional male and female voices.

Discover the power at www.mediagroup.com.au

A voice to call your own

In the world of communications the voice you elect to use takes on a far greater role than you might at first realise. That voice can become a great influence on the way people perceive your products and services.

Today the choice of Voice Artists is considerably greater than in previous times. This is a natural evolution and part of the growing proliferation of media platforms. The digital era and the advent of social media is responsible for creating more and more opportunities for work in advertising, broadcasting and the new kid on the block, “narrowcasting”.

More chance for voices to rise above the pack

Not too many years back people identifying themselves as Voice Artists were a little out of the ordinary. They were mainly drawn from the theatre, film making, radio and television. Some may have come from a sports commentary background. Others emerged from the political arena or had developed a reputation hosting events as a Master of Ceremony or Emcee.

In the modern era everyman and his dog has the chance to get heard. Facebook and You Tube have launched instant “careers all over the world. These overnight success stories are today international bloggers and podcasters with followers numbering from a few handfuls to a few million.

The temptation is to leap on the bandwagon of their popularity and sign them up as a spokesperson for the brand.

Choosing a voice is like getting married

The fact that some Voice Artists have achieved recognition through exposure on a screen or a stream does not mean they are automatically qualified as suitable candidates for your next publicity push.

A great many of these personalities will be loaded down with unwanted baggage. They may be aligned with extreme political views and be far from the norm in acceptable behaviour. They may have exhibited poor judgement in expressing personal opinions on race, culture or religion.

The risk also applies in the future. Once an identity has been publicly associated with your brand the damage they might do can far outweigh any benefit.

Scandal is not brand friendly

Pepsi may forever regret hiring king of pop Michael “Whacko” Jackson. Mel Gibson isn’t likely to be endorsing Nokia. Even as far back as the Roaring Twenties murder allegations against Fatty Arbuckle brought Hollywood under siege. However that didn’t stop Warner Bros. offering him a contract.

There’s an endless list of “A-listers” who blotted their copy books. George Michael “Zip me up before you go-go”. Trust British Paints? Not with Rolf Harris. Nike made the mistake of running with Oscar Pistorius and went down swinging with Tiger Woods.

Choose a voice professional not a part timer doing a voice

You can avoid all the celebrity endorsement pitfalls and popular podcaster problems by selecting your Voice Artists from Media Group, the business audio specialist.

Media Group offer the most comprehensive range of professional male and female voice over talent. All ages, all styles in English and most modern languages.

Plus before you invest a single cent you can audition samples of their work online from the comfort of the office. It’s the most risk free way to find the best voice for your next project.

Go to www.mediagroup.com.au