Who doesn’t like listening to hold music while trying to make a phone call?
I’ll make a bold guess and say most of us.
Fortunately, the Social Security Administration has implemented a feature for callers to their national 800 number so that they can cut the noise.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that its Call Back Assist feature now holds your place in the queue without you having to stay on the phone. You can go about your day and a Social Security representative will call you back once it’s your turn.
This is especially helpful considering the average wait time for the 800 number is 13 minutes. The SSA hopes to bring that number down further, but it’s a big improvement. The average wait time was more than 40 minutes in November 2023.
The SSA says their goal is to hit a 12-minute wait time by the end of the 2025 fiscal year (September 30, 2025).
A recent SSA blog post says wait times are one of SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley’s top priorities and, “We’re putting into place new technology and business practices so we can shorten wait times even more and improve the customer experience.”
The SSA phone line has some other features that, while not new, are helpful for certain callers.
There’s the teletypewriter (TTY) service for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or otherwise have difficulty using a traditional phone.
Callers also have access to interpreters. The SSA offers their services in English and Spanish, and provides free interpreter services in more than 200 languages and dialects.
If you need to get in touch with a Social Security representative, call 1-800-772-1213. They’re available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.
The SSA says callers can expect shorter wait times if they call in the morning, later in the week or later in the month.
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