On Hold

by Patrick Appel

Newsweek looks at the psychology of the calling customer service lines:

[C]allers who were given information about their place in line reported more positive experiencesand hung up less frequentlythan those who were played background music. And as for recorded apologies? They can make the situation worse, said Rafaeli. Given that apologies often interrupt background music without providing any useful information, she suggested it is possible that “you sort of drift into the music, and go with the flow, and forget that you’re really waiting, or wasting your time. But then this apology awakens you to this unpleasant effect that, hey, I’m waiting!”

(Hat tip: Sager)