“All of our operators are busy. Please continue to hold.”
If hearing this prerecorded message instantly sets your nerves on edge, you’re not alone. Fonolo, a provider of cloud-based call-back solutions, recently released its list of the worst hold time offenders of 2016.
The list is based on Twitter complaints about waiting on hold cataloged on Fonolo’s OnHoldWith.com, a website that tracks complaints in an effort to “motivate companies to rethink how they deliver customer service.”
It likely comes as no surprise that lengthy hold times can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction. Daniela Puzzo, marketing director at Fonolo, says in a statement:
“These organizations are letting loyal customers slip through their fingers because of long hold times. Hopefully these new findings will motivate companies to rethink how they deliver customer service.”
So which companies are the worst offenders when it comes to making customers wait on hold for long periods of time? According to Fonolo, these are the 10 worst hold-time offenders of 2016:
- Apple
- Verizon
- Bank of America
- Comcast
- Sprint
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Internal Revenue Service
- AT&T
Overall, the industries with the longest hold times include:
- Telecommunications: 32 percent
- Airline/travel: 20 percent
- Retail: 16 percent
- Financial: 12 percent
- Government: 1 percent
The next time you’re tired of waiting on hold, Fonolo encourages you to tag the company using hashtag #onholdwith.
“We’ve seen companies respond much faster to online complaints when it’s included,” Fonolo writes in a press release.
Have you had a bad (or a good) experience with a company call center? Share your experiences below or on Facebook.
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