What Do You Do While Waiting On Hold?

There's no two ways around it, sitting on hold waiting for an operator sucks. This week we have been canceling utilities at our previous residence since we just moved and have spent far too much time on hold. Thank heavens for the speaker phone! Tell us what you do while sitting on hold after the jump (we like to use the time to have mini cleaning frenzies!)

Since we have spent so much time sitting on hold in the past few days we have used them as mini cleaning challenges. Or rather unpacking challenges. By the time this operator picks up, we will have unpacked X amount of boxes.....

What do you do while listening to seemingly unbearable hold music? Mop the kitchen floor? Clean the bathroom? Watch an episode of Price is Right? De-lint your belly button?

Comments (14)

Watch TV and play freecell at the same time. Multi-tasking!

I have a headset so I can do all kinds of chores while talking on the phone. My favorite is to call a friend when I have laundry to fold and put away!

Do my nails (I'd never do them otherwise).

organize and tidy up whatever is around me

This is why God invented computer solitaire games.

Unload and load the dishwasher.

Fun tip -- if you're stuck on hold somewhere, the kind of hold that keeps going from generic recording to 'your call is valuable to us...' and back (think Comcast...), try getting really indignant to the recording.

More often than not someone is listening in -- and in my experience, the one to pick up the line is a manager who is usually more capable of fixing your problem than most.

I found this first by getting really frustrated and cursing at the phone, but found it even works by simply exclaiming something like 'Oh my GOD - I DON'T CARE!' at the recording (I think my cable company was trying to get me to buy the same service I already had....)

Just remember to be extra nice to the actual person on the other end of the line!

I really dont see the relevance of this post to the AT mission...

Crossword puzzles, baby! Vocabulary building at it's best. I love the response I get from the harried operator when the first words out of my mouth are "do you know a 6-letter word for 'bold?'"

BTW, I see the relevance... high human interest! I can't relate to every post on AT, but I'm sure that goes for most readers... this one caught my eye and elicited a response (I don't seem to be alone), so I guess it's served its purpose, eh?