What to Say During Waits for a Customer Service Representative

Customers judge brands by their phone experience. When hold times occur, what the agent or automated system says — and how often it updates the caller — directly affects satisfaction, abandonment, and conversion rates. This guide provides practical phrasing, measurable benchmarks, legal considerations, and implementation tips a contact center leader or CX manager can apply immediately.

Content here is distilled from operational best practices used by enterprise contact centers in 2018–2025 and modern CCaaS implementations. Expect explicit sample scripts, numeric targets, cost ranges, and vendor/technology notes you can use in planning, scripting, or vendor RFIs.

Key Performance Metrics and Benchmarks

To decide what messages to play and when, you must measure the right metrics. The most important are Average Speed of Answer (ASA), Average Handle Time (AHT), Abandonment Rate, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and First Contact Resolution (FCR). Targets vary by vertical: financial services, healthcare, utilities, and retail each have distinct tolerances for wait time.

Use these industry benchmark targets as starting points and then refine for your customers:

• ASA target: Premium/support lines ≤ 20–30 seconds; mass-market retail ≤ 45–60 seconds; utilities/municipalities ≤ 90–120 seconds.
• Abandonment rate: Aim for < 5% in high-touch services; acceptable 5–10% for high-volume transactional lines.
• AHT: Typical range 4–10 minutes depending on complexity; support channels that reduce AHT (chat, knowledge bases) reduce on-hold volume by 12–25% year-over-year.
• CSAT & NPS: On-hold experience influences CSAT by up to 25% in post-call surveys; target CSAT ≥ 85% for premium support lines.

Legal, Transparency, and Compliance Requirements

Always disclose recording and monitoring where required. In the U.S., many states require single-party or all-party consent for call recording; in the EU the GDPR requires a lawful basis for processing call data and providing an information notice. Phrases such as “This call may be recorded for quality and training purposes” satisfy most jurisdictions when combined with privacy policy links on your website (example: https://www.example.com/privacy).

Debt collection, telemedicine, and financial advice lines have additional constraints: for instance, fair-debt collection laws and HIPAA in the U.S. require explicit safeguards. If you offer callbacks, preserve consent records (timestamp, phone number, consent text) for at least 3–7 years depending on industry regulation. A legal-safe example notice: “Calls may be recorded. For privacy details visit https://www.example.com/privacy or call +1-800-555-0123.”

On-Hold Messaging Best Practices

Keep updates frequent and truthful. Provide an initial estimated wait time or queue position and update every 60–120 seconds. If estimated wait exceeds 2–3 minutes, proactively offer alternatives (callback, SMS queue, chat, web form). Studies show offering a callback option reduces abandonment by ~30% and increases CSAT by 5–10 points.

Maintain a human tone and prioritize useful content: current queue estimate, expected next steps, required documents to have ready, and links to self-service resources. Don’t overfill messages with marketing; callers are task-focused. Typical message cadence: greeting (5–10s), ETA + hold reason (10–15s), assistance alternative (5–10s), then a short music bed or brief informational snippet (10–30s) before repeating.

Practical Scripts and Phrases

Below are tested, high-value scripts for different points during the wait. Use the exact phrasing with slight brand tone adjustments (formal vs. friendly). Keep each spoken block under 30 seconds so the message feels fresh and not repetitive.

• Initial welcome: “Thank you for calling Acme Support. Your estimated wait time is approximately 2 minutes. We’ll be with you as soon as possible.”
• Long wait + callback offer: “All agents are assisting other customers. If you prefer, we can call you back at this number without losing your place in queue. Press 1 to request a callback.”
• Legal/recording notice: “This call may be recorded for quality and training. For privacy details visit https://www.example.com/privacy or call +1-800-555-0123.”
• Pre-transfer: “I’m going to connect you to a specialist in billing. Please remain on the line; this may take up to 45 seconds.”
• Self-service nudge: “For account updates, you can sign in at https://www.example.com or text HELP to +1-555-000-1111 for an SMS link. These options are faster for simple requests.”

Technology, Implementation, and Cost Considerations

Modern solutions include IVR with dynamic ETA, virtual hold/callback, web-based click-to-call, and AI-driven agent assist. Typical CCaaS seat pricing in 2024 ranges from $30–$150 per agent per month for basic to advanced features; add-on speech analytics or workforce management can be $5–$40 per agent monthly. Per-minute telephony costs vary by carrier: $0.01–$0.05/min in domestic U.S. plans for SIP trunking.

Implementation checklist: confirm SLA targets, design 3-tier message templates (0–30s, 31–120s, >120s), add callback integration, configure consent recording, and test with a panel of 50–200 callers. Example vendors with APIs and documented pricing: https://www.talkdesk.com, https://www.five9.com, https://www.zendesk.com. For local testing, set up a lab at: Customer Experience Lab, 123 Customer Ave, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94105, phone +1-415-555-1234.

Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement

Track the impact of new on-hold messaging by comparing 30–90 day windows for ASA, abandonment, CSAT, and conversion rate (sales or resolution). Run A/B tests on tone and callback wording; use a minimum sample of 2,000 calls for statistically meaningful results when your call volume exceeds 10,000/month. Quarterly reviews should include QA scoring, sentiment analysis, and agent feedback.

Iterate language quarterly and when key metrics move: if abandonment falls by >20% after adding callbacks, broaden to other queues. If CSAT drops after new messages, revert to the prior script and run a focused survey (NPS or CSAT) to diagnose tone, clarity, or ETA accuracy. Continuous measurement and small, frequent updates produce the best long-term results for customer satisfaction and cost-per-contact control.