I am sure when Alexander Graham Bell first spoke those immortal words, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you” He never expected Mr Watson to put him on hold. Fortunately, that did not happen. That took many years for the hold button to be invented. Then for years and years, when a growing company was called, people would be put on hold. They would be put on hold to transfer a call or until a human was available. Hold times became insidious when robots started answering the phone and trying to understand English speakers would always mess up. Phone trees are the demonic end of the hold button.
There was a movement recently of companies that claimed they would never put a person on hold. Hover.com was one such company. Sadly they have become so popular, they don’t put people on hold, they call them back. I have seen many companies using the call back option so that people do not have to stay on hold. Being called back is still an obstacle to getting a question answered. People still have to wait until someone calls them back to get their problem solved.
Companies like Apple give their customers a variety of hold music. They offer jazz, classical, popular and modern. The problem with this is, however, they blast the music and on little phone speakers is sounds very distorted and bad. I have chosen to wait in silence when calling apple.
Of course when cellular phones were invented, the earliest ones had a hold button. Now every smart phone has a hold button. In fact modern smart phones can have two conversations going on at once. One can be one hold while the other talks. People can even combine the calls into a conference call. I have great joy when I am talking to my cable company or a bank and I get another call and I inform them I must put them on hold. Most of the time they remain on the line, but the cable company never does.
Putting people on hold is rude. Phone trees that don’t work are rude. If companies value their customers, they need to answer the phone. If they need to look something up or transfer my call, then put me on hold, but answer the phone and let me talk to a real person. It is clear why the modern generations don’t talk much on the phone. Texting, chat programs, email and messenger programs are all used much more making a voice call on a phone. With these written communications the receiver has the freedom to wait or look something up or just ignore it for a while. Then when they are ready to answer the answer pops up on the other phone. A great way to communicate.
As a pastor, I must be on call, and ready to answer the phone. I can be informed of a hospitalization or some other immediate need. Older people tend not to text or message anyway, so I still use my cell phone to make and receive phone calls.
There was a movement recently of companies that claimed they would never put a person on hold. Hover.com was one such company. Sadly they have become so popular, they don’t put people on hold, they call them back. I have seen many companies using the call back option so that people do not have to stay on hold. Being called back is still an obstacle to getting a question answered. People still have to wait until someone calls them back to get their problem solved.
Companies like Apple give their customers a variety of hold music. They offer jazz, classical, popular and modern. The problem with this is, however, they blast the music and on little phone speakers is sounds very distorted and bad. I have chosen to wait in silence when calling apple.
Of course when cellular phones were invented, the earliest ones had a hold button. Now every smart phone has a hold button. In fact modern smart phones can have two conversations going on at once. One can be one hold while the other talks. People can even combine the calls into a conference call. I have great joy when I am talking to my cable company or a bank and I get another call and I inform them I must put them on hold. Most of the time they remain on the line, but the cable company never does.
Putting people on hold is rude. Phone trees that don’t work are rude. If companies value their customers, they need to answer the phone. If they need to look something up or transfer my call, then put me on hold, but answer the phone and let me talk to a real person. It is clear why the modern generations don’t talk much on the phone. Texting, chat programs, email and messenger programs are all used much more making a voice call on a phone. With these written communications the receiver has the freedom to wait or look something up or just ignore it for a while. Then when they are ready to answer the answer pops up on the other phone. A great way to communicate.
As a pastor, I must be on call, and ready to answer the phone. I can be informed of a hospitalization or some other immediate need. Older people tend not to text or message anyway, so I still use my cell phone to make and receive phone calls.
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