Britons wait around 12 minutes to get through to customer service

Britons now have to wait an average of 12 minutes to get through to customer service, with nine in ten saying their complaints are ‘rarely resolved’

• Nine out of ten respondents said that their complaints are rarely resolved
• Call handlers say customers have become angrier over the last couple of years

Frustrated by call centres putting you endlessly on hold while insisting your query is ‘important to us’? Well, you’re not alone.

Britons have to wait an average of 12 minutes every time they try to speak to customer service agents, research has found. 

And when they finally get through to a real person, nine out of ten people say their complaints are rarely resolved.

The poll of 2,000 UK adults found nearly half regularly end up demanding to speak to the manager – particularly those aged over 65.

Meanwhile, call handlers say exasperated customers have become angrier over the last couple of years, doling out abuse including racism and sexism.

Britons have to wait an average of 12 minutes every time they try to speak to customer service agents, research has found

When they finally get through to a real person, nine out of ten people say their complaints are rarely resolved

The study comes amid a rise in AI chatbots dealing with customer problems – often enraging callers but cutting the workload of human staff. 

The survey by tech firm Infobip found five per cent of people admitted to swearing at call centre staff. 

But a female call handler at a bank in Liverpool said she had been subjected to ‘horrifying misogynistic abuse’, adding: ‘Female employees get a lot more abuse than males. Customers often switch tones when talking to women.’

James Stokes, at Infobip, said: ‘Customers and call centre workers often come out of these interactions worse for wear; beleaguered after long wait times, unresolved complaints, and even subjected to verbal abuse. There are no winners.’

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