Optional. Tailors the wording to your kind of business.
Optional. Separate them with commas. Up to eight are used.
Optional. Read out without the https or www.
Optional.
Optional, in your own words. One or two short sentences. Take it down when it ends.
Only say yes if your business number can receive texts.
Pick something close to how long callers usually wait, so most hear each spot once.
Your on-hold loop
Add your services, website, hours, or some news to give callers something useful to hear between the thank-yous.
Full script with music breaks
ON-HOLD MESSAGE LOOP About 1 minute, 3 spots. Play them in order with music between, then start again from spot 1. 1. Welcome Thanks for calling! Please stay on the line, and someone will be with you shortly. [Music, about 12 seconds] 2. Be ready To save time when we're with you, think about the service you would like and a day and time that works for you. [Music, about 12 seconds] 3. Thank you Thanks again for holding. Please stay on the line, and we'll be with you as soon as someone is free. [Music, about 12 seconds, then back to spot 1]
Use music sold as licensed for on-hold use, or ask your phone provider what it includes. Callers pick from a menu before they hold? The phone tree script generator writes that part.
Want every call answered instead? See how FrontDesk Talk works.
Callers on hold are listening, so tell them something useful
Silence on hold makes callers wonder if the call dropped. The same thank-you every few seconds makes them count. A good on-hold loop sits between the two: short spots that thank the caller, tell them something worth knowing, and remind them they haven’t been forgotten.
This generator writes a numbered set of spots, each one or two sentences, from your services, website, hours, and any news you want to share. It times every spot and the whole loop against the length you pick, so you know how much music fits in between.
How to use the on-hold message generator
1
Add your details
Your business name, services, website, and hours. Add one line of news or an offer in your own words if you have one.
2
Pick the tone and length
Friendly or professional, and a loop of about 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes. Longer loops fit more spots before they repeat.
3
Record it and load it
Record each spot, or paste the script into your phone system’s text-to-speech. Put licensed music between the spots and load the loop into your phone system.
Write for the ear
Callers can’t reread a hold message, so give each spot one idea and keep the sentences short. Say the business name early, and read your website the way you would say it out loud, without the https or the www. If a spot takes more than one breath to read, split it in two.
How long the loop should be
Match the loop to how long callers usually wait. If most holds are under a minute, a 1 minute loop means each caller hears each spot about once. Repeat the thank-you a few spots apart. It is the line that tells a waiting caller they haven’t been dropped, so it should come around more than once.
What to put on hold, and what to leave out
Good hold content answers questions before callers ask: your website, your services, what to have ready. Leave out wait times you can’t guarantee, prices that change often, and news that has already passed. Skip “your call is important to us.” Callers have heard it so often that it sounds like the opposite.
Music needs a license too
Playing the radio, a streaming service, or your own playlist on hold can count as a public performance, which can need a music license. The simple route is music sold as licensed for on-hold use, or the music your phone provider includes. Ask your provider what its music covers before you upload anything.
Or let FrontDesk Talk handle it
The best hold message is the one nobody hears
FrontDesk Talk answers every call on the first ring, 24/7, and takes up to 10 calls at once, so callers don’t wait on hold. It answers questions, transfers urgent calls to your cell, and sends you a Talk Note after each call. Small Talk is $99 a month.
Questions
How long should an on-hold message be?
Keep each spot to one or two short sentences, roughly 15 to 30 words, which is about 6 to 12 seconds at a normal speaking pace. Make the whole loop about as long as callers usually wait, so most hear each spot once.
How often should I change my on-hold messages?
Whenever something in them changes: your hours, services, website, or an offer that ended. Beyond that, a refresh every few months keeps regular callers from tuning out. Take seasonal news down as soon as the season ends.
Can I use any music for my on-hold messages?
Not always. Playing the radio, a streaming service, or songs you bought to callers can need a public performance license. Use music sold as licensed for on-hold use, or ask your phone provider what music it includes and what its license covers.
Who should record our on-hold messages?
Someone with a clear, warm voice who speaks at an easy pace, often the owner or someone callers already know. A quiet room and a decent microphone matter more than a professional voice. Many phone systems can also read the script aloud with a built-in voice.
Should I tell callers how long they will wait?
Only if your phone system measures it. A fixed promise like “just a minute” turns into a broken promise on a busy day. “Someone will be with you as soon as possible” is honest every time, which is why the spots here never name a wait time.
Does an on-hold message replace answering faster?
No. It makes a wait easier, but it doesn’t make it shorter. If callers often wait on hold or hang up before anyone picks up, the real fix is more ways to answer: another person, a callback, or a receptionist that takes several calls at once.
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