We are currently experiencing very high call volumes ....

Peter999_2

your call is important to us, please hold.

Every phone call to any company that I've made for as long as I remember always has the :

We are currently experiencing very high call volumes please hold

It is so annoying - I'm currently on hold with Tesco mobile waiting to cancel :

We are doing everything we can to answer your call as quickly as possible

Er, no I don't think you are. If you were doing everything you could you would have more people on helpline to answer the calls.


I finally got through to cancel, went through the usual palaver of them trying to persuade me to keep the phone etc. I told them I was giving it to my wife and she didn't get any reception where she worked to which he replied "Has she thought about changing jobs". Made me laugh, brightened up the call.

mttylad

They are always busy because them customer people keep calling. Grrr.....

paddyrg

Some simple options would make me feel more important...

"Sorry, we are very busy right now, but if you would like to book in a call back just dial the time you'd like it now"

Or even

"there are 117 other people in the worth ahead of you, and 79 behind you. We estimate that it will take 12 minutes before your call can be answered, and will give you £1 for every minute we go over that"

Suddenly, customers on hold is no longer cheaper than another call centre operator...

hcb42

on the other hand if they actually put the right number of staff on for the phone call volume 24 x 7 (not cheap at all!) then the premiums for their service would go through the roof.

Not that i like being on hold either

adamc260

It's a polite way of saying 'We don't have enough staff to deal with your query'

lovefullshelves

Ah but the hold music with our electricity company drives me up the wall..15 minutes waiting just to give them a meter reading..there are now very naughty words sung in place of the original 'I belong to you, you belong to me' lines.(same as their bloomin advert) I sing them at the top of my voice, every month when I have to call and am holding and have only been caught doing it once:D

katejo

Yes but it loses all real meaning if you get it every time you try. It should be compulsory to let you know your position in the queue and the approximate waiting time.
One reason why I don't move my bank account from First Direct is that I never hear this phrase from them.

pmduk

It's when the message goes on to say "your call is important to us" that I get mad. it's obviously not so important that they answer it!

paddyrg

Yes, it's the lack of sense of progression that hurts worse than the message. Tell me I'm at 117 but there are another 50 behind me gives me options on which to base a decision. However, if I've held for 15 mins, am I next, or an hour away? Will I lose all the position I have built up, or am I still at the back of the queue?

bcl999

Personally, I preferred the system in the "olden days" where you got an engaged tone - at least I wasn't paying anyone for it.

bcl999

pmduk wrote: »

It's when the message goes on to say "your call is important to us" that I get mad. it's obviously not so important that they answer it!

Of course it's important to them. They and the phone company are making XXp a minute out of each of us while we wait!