Silence during a phone call is often taken as a sign that the call was dropped. There’s no use staying on the line, so people hang up. It’s therefore no wonder that a CNN survey found that among Americans who are put on hold in silence, 70% of them hang up within 60 seconds.

When transitioning from traditional phone systems to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions, people often overlook the way calls are put on hold. However, doing so means losing opportunities since how customers are put on hold influences whether they wait patiently on the line or hang up.

A common refrain heard by installers of traditional PBX phone systems and over-the-internet VoIP systems is “Wait, before you go, what’s best for on-hold music and messages, and how do I set those up?” Usually it’s an easy process for both types of phone systems, but with VoIP solutions it’s typically easier and provides greater flexibility to small-business owners in their attempts to reduce hang-ups and keep their on-hold customers happy.