On hold?

Sep 13, 2024
Sep 13, 2024 Updated Apr 14, 2025
1

Editor,

Think about how many people in the United States are on telephone-hold at any moment during working hours. It is not unusual nowadays for corporations to keep callers on hold for well over an hour.

(1) comment

Terence Y Sep 13, 2024 8:21am

Thanks for your letter, Mr. Barnby, but I feel your solution of genuine cutthroat competition has resulted in many call centers to be based in India (although many are assigned "Western" names to be more relatable). I’d be interested in how many Fortune 500 companies have “help” desks located in foreign lands.

Besides, is there any incentive for corporations to NOT keep callers on hold? How many times is a corporation receiving a “friendly” call to thank the corporation for their help or for an extra credit on a bill? I’d bet rarely, if ever. It’s usually a complaint of one sort or another and any complaint resolved in the consumer’s favor is usually a loss for the corporation so there’s incentive to not hear the complaints. Instead of antitrust action, perhaps imposing monetary penalties if callers are on hold for increasing periods of time.

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