Like most companies, FNAC, the French historic retailer, receives multiple calls on their customer support from people trying to solve their everyday issues. Unfortunately, these problems are not solved as fast as they want. Leaving customers stuck listening to generic hold music, which can be a frustrating experience.

In response to this issue, they decided to revolutionize the waiting time of their call center by replacing the traditional on-hold music with snippets of classic books. Turning every call into an opportunity to explore the world of literature and embark on a new adventure.

By providing snippets of classic books, FNAC hopes to give customers a chance to explore the world of literature and discover new authors and stories. Whether it's a page from Valerie Perrin’s Fresh Water for Flowers or a chapter from João Tordo's 100 Years of Forgiveness, every call will offer a new literary journey.

In this audio experience, every time someone calls FNAC’s call center and gets put on-hold, instead of the typical on-hold music, they hear a series of snippets of classic books like The Little Prince. Turning this once-lost time into a getaway to the magical world of books

On-hold books unlocked a new dimension of audio entertainment through the power of books. It turns an old-fashioned and boring moment such as on-hold waiting time into a literary experience that eases people’s frustration before talking to an employee.

The idea earned national attention, 260K in earned media, and record high engagement - people even started calling to the call center just to be put on-hold and heart the snippets of these classic books. Creating almost a new way of experiencing literature.

As a result, 2 million people were reached, the equivalent to 31,8% of portuguese readers.