PUBLIC AWARENESS PERSPECTIVE

On Hold Message System
An Easy, Creative Way to Promote Your District

by Lisa M. Gann-Wick

Isn't it boring to be put on hold? Why not advertise your park district programs to every caller that must endure this waiting game? Most park agencies are very conscientious and try not to leave callers on hold for long periods of time. But even if someone waits for 30 seconds, this is adequate time to find out the latest in park district activities.

The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District implemented an on hold phone system in the spring of 1991. The program is very successful. Residents and nonresidents alike constantly ask for more information on activities they have just heard about while waiting on hold. The system installed at the district was inexpensive and has provided an interesting avenue for disseminating information.

To set up the system, a cartridge must be attached to the phone system at each facility that will have an on hold message system. The cartridge allows the recorded message to be played on the phone line while callers wait. The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District chose to install the on hold system at three of its busiest facilities: The Merchants Park Administration Building, the Marie Irwin Community Center and the Homewood-Flossmoor Racquet and Fitness Club.

Once the system is installed, a dual cassette player with volume control, balance and a headphone jack should be connected to the phone system at each location. The dual cassette deck is needed to duplicate cassettes and to rotate them from side to side whenever the message is updated. This evenly distributes wear on the machine.

Three-minute endless loop cassettes are played down the phone line to all those on hold. These cassettes may be purchased at a wholesale distributor or a local electronics store.

The messages are best recorded in a sound proof studio. However, most park agencies do not have this luxury and are not able to build such a studio. The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District records its messages in a very quiet room without background noise.

The message played on the system are brief and advertise various facility phone numbers often and when applicable. Various programs are advertised on the "on hold" line. The activities include sports, cultural arts, adult leisure, teens, seniors, special events and seasonal programs. It is extremely important to train at least two staff members on the system. The staff members who record the messages should speak clearly, slowly and in an interesting manner. If your announcer speaks in a dull monotone voice, callers will be bored, tune out, or worse, hang up!

There are many companies who will actually record the on hold messages for your agency, but they tend to be very expensive. This is because the companies usually want to rent the phone cartridges and equipment and will also charge a monthly fee to record and maintain the system.

The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District bypassed the middle man by using an outside telecommunications company. The company sold the system equipment directly to the park district without extra monthly charges and rental agreements. Using this outside company saved the district a large amount of money in rental charges and maintenance costs.

Extended warranties were purchased to cover the cassette recording/play back decks, which has proved invaluable. The cassette decks are used anywhere from 8-16 hours each day at the three facilities. The heavy usage puts a tremendous amount of wear and tear on the inner mechanism of the decks, but with warranty coverage on all parts and labor, the maintenance cost is nominal. It is recommended that at least one spare cassette deck be purchased to serve as a fill-in for those decks that need occasional repair.

It is not difficult to keep the messages timely and updated. Occasionally, a tape will break or a program will be cancelled, and the message needs to be changed rather quickly. But for a minimal amount of time and money, the various facts of leisure opportunities are advertised to hundreds of callers in the few seconds it takes to wait on hold.

In today' s fast paced society, a concise, hard-hitting public relations campaign works best. An on hold message system is a unique way to promote your agency activities.

The system may sound complicated to operate, but it really isn't. The rewards are remarkable and the complaints few. In fact, the only complaint about the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District's system is an occasional staff joke about hearing the same message over and over when calling between facilities. "I think the system is a great way to promote activities, but staff who call our own facilities during the day get to hear Lisa's voice all day long!" said Bart Desch, Recreation Supervisor.

"Since the Homewood-Flossmoor community has asked about the activities mentioned on the on hold system, that's proof positive they are listening," said Superintendent of Recreation Jill Bartholomew.

About the Author

Lisa Gann-Wick is the Public Information Supervisor for the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District.