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.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has come a long way since the mid-90s when the technology first enabled phone calls over the internet. Thoughtful developments in telephony hardware and software have driven its growth, and enhanced internet functionality has been a key component, too.

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 lot goes into upgrading your phone system, and in cases where a traditional PBX system is being replaced by an off-site VoIP solution, there are many details to consider. One aspect often overlooked is the way hold music and messaging are set up; but this is something that needs to be taken quite seriously.

VoIP is the funny-sounding phone system that’s been around for over two decades. Though that may seem surprising, it actually makes sense, because that’s about how long the internet has been mainstream, and “Voice over Internet Protocol” needs internet in order to function.