How to Add
Marketing On Hold
to RingCentral
Already have a professionally produced Marketing On Hold recording?
RingCentral allows businesses to control what callers hear while they are on hold, and depending on your account configuration, you may be able to use custom audio in place of standard hold music.
This guide walks you through finding the correct RingCentral settings, adding your custom recording, and testing the finished caller experience.
Need a professional recording first?
Captive Audience Marketing creates custom Marketing On Hold productions with professional voice talent, background music, script assistance, and phone-system-ready audio.
How Do I Add Marketing On Hold to RingCentral?
To add custom Marketing On Hold audio to RingCentral, sign in to your account, locate the appropriate Hold Music, Music On Hold, or call-handling settings, and choose the custom audio option available for your configuration.
Upload or assign your finished recording, save the changes, and make a test call to confirm the correct audio plays when a caller is placed on hold.
The exact menu names may vary depending on your RingCentral account type, permissions, and current interface version.
Before You Start
Make sure you have everything you need before changing your RingCentral marketing on hold.
RingCentral Account Access
You may need administrator permissions to update company-wide Auto Attendant, IVR, call queue, or routing settings.
Your Finished Marketing On Hold Recording
Have your completed Marketing On Hold production ready to upload.
A Compatible Audio File
Use a properly prepared audio file intended for telephone playback.
If Captive Audience Marketing produced your recording specifically for RingCentral, we can provide the finished file in an appropriate phone-system format.
How to Add Your Marketing On Hold Recording to RingCentral
1. Sign In to RingCentral
Sign in to your RingCentral account using an account with permission to manage the phone settings you want to change.
For company-wide, call queue, or shared-line settings, administrator access may be required.
2. Open the Appropriate Phone Settings
Navigate to the phone, user, call queue, shared-line, or call-handling settings associated with the callers who should hear the Marketing On Hold production.
Depending on your RingCentral configuration, look for settings such as:
- Hold Music
- Music On Hold
- Screening, Greeting & Hold Music
- Audio While Connecting
- Call Handling
- Call Queues
- Shared Lines
RingCentral currently includes Hold Music as a configurable phone setting, and some call-handling screens also expose Audio While Connecting separately.
3. Find the Hold Music Setting
Open the Hold Music or related audio section.
Be careful not to confuse Hold Music with Audio While Connecting.
Hold Music is generally what callers hear after they have been placed on hold.
Audio While Connecting is generally what callers hear while RingCentral is attempting to connect the call.
Depending on the call flow, those can be two different experiences.
4. Choose Custom Audio
If your RingCentral configuration allows custom audio, select the option to use your own recording instead of a default music selection.
Depending on the interface, you may see an option to:
- Upload
- Import
- Add audio
- Choose custom audio
- Select from an audio library
5. Upload or Assign Your Recording
Select your professionally produced Marketing On Hold audio file.
Allow RingCentral to finish processing the file before continuing.
If your account uses a shared audio library, you may first need to upload the file to the library and then assign it to the appropriate Hold Music setting.
6. Save Your Changes
Save the new audio selection and any related call-handling or user configuration.
If you are working inside a custom answering rule, call queue, or shared-line setup, make sure the entire rule or configuration is saved.
7. Test the Live Call Experience
Call your business from an outside phone.
Have someone answer the call and place you on hold.
Listen long enough to confirm:
- The correct production plays
- The voice is clear
- Music volume is balanced
- The recording starts correctly
- There is no distortion
- The correct users or departments hear the intended production
- Returning from hold works normally
If the recording is intended for a call queue or particular department, test that exact call path.
What Can You Promote With RingCentral Marketing On Hold?
If Captive Audience Marketing produces your recording for RingCentral, we can provide the finished audio in a format designed for telephone playback.
Recommended Audio Format
For telephony audio, RingCentral recommends:
PCM WAV
8kHz sample rate
16-bit, Mono
G.711 / u-law WAV
8kHz sample rate
8-bit, Mono
RingCentral also supports MP3 files for imported Greetings
Hold Music vs.
Marketing On Hold
What’s the Difference?
Hold music simply gives callers something to listen to while they wait.
Marketing On Hold combines music with professionally recorded messages that can:
- promote products and services
- answer common questions
- direct callers to online resources
- explain additional capabilities
- reinforce your brand
- encourage customers to take action
Instead of treating hold time as dead time, Marketing On Hold turns it into another customer communication opportunity.
Why Use a Professionally Produced Marketing On Hold Recording?
Telephone audio has a much narrower frequency range than music or video played through normal speakers.
A production intended for phone playback should account for:
- voice clarity
- music-to-voice balance
- overall volume
- compression
- audio conversion
- telephone bandwidth
A professionally prepared production is designed to remain clear and understandable after the phone system and telephone network process the audio.
RingCentral Marketing On Hold Troubleshooting
Why Am I Still Hearing RingCentral’s Default Hold Music?
First confirm that your changes were saved.
Then make sure you updated the correct Hold Music setting.
RingCentral may use different audio for:
- individual users
- shared lines
- call queues
- custom answering rules
- company call handling
- Audio While Connecting
If you changed one area but your test call follows another call path, you may still hear the default audio.
Why Does the Recording Play for Some Calls but Not Others?
Different calls may travel through different RingCentral call flows.
For example, a direct call to an employee may behave differently from a call routed through a queue or company Auto Attendant.
Test each call path where you expect the Marketing On Hold production to play.
Why Does My Marketing On Hold Audio Sound Distorted?
Telephone systems process audio differently from websites, music players, or video platforms.
Distortion may be caused by:
- incorrect audio encoding
- excessive volume
- music that does not translate well to telephone bandwidth
- poor voice-to-music balance
- an incompatible file format
Use audio prepared specifically for phone-system playback.
Why Is My Marketing On Hold Recording Too Quiet?
Do not judge the final volume only by listening to the original file on your computer.
Make a real test call.
Telephone networks can change perceived loudness significantly.
If the voice is difficult to hear after installation, the audio may need to be remixed or prepared differently for telephone playback.
Can I use custom Marketing On Hold audio with RingCentral?
RingCentral provides configurable Hold Music settings in multiple parts of its phone system. The exact custom-audio options available depend on your account configuration and call flow.
Is Marketing On Hold the same as hold music?
No. Hold music is typically music only. Marketing On Hold combines music with professionally recorded informational or promotional messages.
Can Captive Audience create the recording for me?
Yes. We can help with scripting, professional voice talent, music, production, and phone-system-ready audio.
Can I use the same voice as my RingCentral Auto Attendant?
Yes, and in many cases we recommend it.
Using the same professional announcer for your Auto Attendant, IVR, voicemail, and Marketing On Hold creates a more consistent caller experience.
Can different departments use different Marketing On Hold productions?
Potentially, yes. It depends on how your RingCentral users, shared lines, queues, and call flows are configured.
We can create separate productions when department-specific messaging makes sense.
Can you update an existing production?
Yes. We can update individual messages or create a refreshed production whenever your products, services, promotions, hours, or other information changes.