Top 10 worst call centre phrases

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Ever been told ‘your call is important to us’, only to end up being placed in a half an hour queue for an operator? 

Or have you met with the phrase ‘you are currently fifth in the queue’ and are left hanging for hours?

The team at Londonoffices.com have compiled the list of 10 call centre phrases that are most likely to see callers blow a fuse when left waiting on the end of the line.

Among the phrases that are most likely to drive customers up the wall are ‘bear with me’, ‘your call is important to us’ and ‘that’s not something I can do’.

Being left in queues for extended amounts of time is enough to send even the calmest of people into a fit of rage, and phrases such as ‘excuse me whilst I put you on hold’, ‘you are currently fifth in the queue’ and ‘your call important to us’ only add to a callers’ annoyance.

Even phrases from customer service staff that are apologetic can bring up feelings of anger, with ‘apologies about the wait’ and ‘I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?’ also making it into the dreaded top 10.  

The other phrases to make the list of phrases are ‘would you like to leave a voicemail?’ and ‘she’s currently tied up’. 

Chris Meredith, of Londonoffices.com, said: “Everyone has to occasionally call a customer service centre, and although the staff we speak to are calm and polite it doesn’t stop us from getting frustrated by how tedious the call can be.

“It doesn’t matter how well your day is going, the moment you hear an automated message telling you how important your call is, only moments later to say that you’re still 30 minutes away from speaking to someone, you can’t help but burst a fuse. 

“Even if the staff on the end of the line are helpful and friendly, if you are left on hold for half an hour listening to how you’re still eighth in the queue you’re certain to end up seeing red.

“Phrases like ‘can you please repeat that?’ or ‘sorry about the wait’ can be said as sincerely as possible, and yet somehow the process of having to wait for an eternity on the phone turns them into phrases that border on feeling mocking.  

“Just remember that call centre staff understand your frustrations, and no matter how many times you get passed over to another department or put on hold that you should always try to remain patient and polite with them.”

In no particular order, these are the 10 worst call centre phrases, according to Londonoffices.com.

• Bear with me
• She’s tied up
• Would you like to leave a voicemail?
• Our calls are recorded for training and monitoring purposes
• You are 5th in queue. Sorry we are experiencing high volumes of callers at this time
• Excuse me whilst I put you on hold
• I’m sorry, could you please repeat that? 
• Your call is important to us
• Sorry about the wait
• That’s not something I can do