Frosty

In December of 1969 Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass released a 25-minute animated classic that first aired on CBS.  Since that day Frosty the Snowman has captivated and engaged audiences each and every holiday season. Based on the 1950 song written by Jack Nelson and Steve Rollins, this was the first Rankin/Bass production to utilize traditional animation rather than the ‘stop-motion’ method which marked their earlier successful features like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

1969 also marked the birth of another Frosty. This one is a deliciously chocolate, frozen treat that is one of five original items on the menu that Dave Thomas created for Wendy’s restaurants.  He wanted a dessert that was so thick it had to be eaten with a spoon.  The original recipe was actually a vanilla/chocolate swirl that Dave mixed himself. Dave Thomas took two distinctly different flavors to create a treat that would perfectly complement his menu.

Ten years later a new technology was born that introduced callers to a new kind of ‘frosty,’ the automated voice attendant for telephone systems.  These robotic and sterile announcements replaced the warm and friendly greetings callers used to receive from the receptionist at the front desk. You remember; the person with the pleasant voice that matched both your customers as well as your image. At first, this type of system was impractical in that it was very expensive to implement let alone maintain.  It was simply a better business decision to keep the warmth provided by the receptionist along with the margins to the bottom line.

Today, technological advances have made the auto-attendant a cost-effective necessity for businesses. This new-fangled ‘phone frosty’ is no longer an anomaly. Unfortunately, it has become the norm. Conversational and engaging professional receptionists have been replaced by sanitized, pre-recorded voice prompts which exude all the warmth and understanding as one of Frosty the Snowman’s eyes.

At Woodstock Media Group, we believe everything we do will help your business grow by harnessing the power of a captive audience. That includes our approach to auto-attendants. Like Rankin/Bass, we have broken with the traditional approach to voice prompts which were cold and robotic.  Our voice talent professionals specialize in creating greetings that are warm and welcoming. Plus, we feature a variety of voice artists so you can choose the person that matches both your customers as well as your image.

Voice prompts are just the first step.  We also focus on what your caller hears during the moments when their call is transferred or placed on hold. Like Dave Thomas, we have blended two distinctly different flavors, or approaches to the on-hold experience: music and advertising. We creatively blend these two powerful ingredients together by hand in a digital environment to create an experience that captivates and engages your audience while being the perfect complement to your external marketing efforts.

Frosty is a snowman or a chocolate dessert.  It should not be the type of greeting your caller receives when they reach out to contact you. 

Tom McTee, Super-Genius