But…

Most multi-line phone systems come standard with music on hold capabilities.
There is a reason for this; callers prefer to hear "something" and businesses prefer to use this perceived downtime for their benefit.

Our policy is not to place calls on hold.
As correct and upstanding as this policy is- it's impossible to uphold. Calls get placed on hold. It's a fact of doing business. In addition, many customers call AFTER HOURS to investigate your business! (On Hold only activates when the HOLD button is pushed. After hours is another custom messaging service we can provide) No message, no potential sale!

To those who utilize telecomm technology.
to answer calls and route them directly to voicemail- it has been show that callers, no surprise, prefer to talk to a live person. They should be given the option to hold if they want (remember the reason why on hold callers are a captive audience). Auto-attendants and voicemail should be used only when no one is available. It's smart business and smart etiquette.

We use the radio because it costs nothing.
Whoa! There are many negatives to using radio on hold. Radio offers inconsistent clarity, it is probably set to a station you like and not to what your normal customers would prefer and what about ads for competitors that may come up. If you lose just one call that was on hold that may come up. If you lose just one call that was on hold that may have been a sale, the radio is all of a sudden not a "free" on hold option.

Our customers do not like to hear messages on hold.
Look at the stats. No one likes to be put on hold (we don't even like it!), but when given the option, 88% preferred on hold marketing over silence or plain radio.