Tired of Being on Hold? - Tips to Talk with a Human

I get frustrated when I call a company and am greeted with a multitude of options which do not apply to me. Or a voice controlled phone system which has me screaming into the phone only to hear it did not understand me. I just want to talk to a human. Here are a few tricks to use to reach that human quickly.

Press 2

This is my favorite trick. I speak English but I always press 2 for Spanish. These operators are bilingual and are hardly ever busy. I get right through most of the time. It is best not to apologize or mention that you pressed 2, just start right in with your call.

Do Nothing

Another trick is to trick the automated answering device into thinking you are calling from an old fashioned rotary dial phone. Yes, they are still out there. Simply don't push any button, just wait and soon a live operator will come on.

Rapid Fire the 0

This trick is just the opposite of the do nothing. Here you start rapidly firing the O or operator button as soon as you connect. This usually brings on a live operator.

Profanity

For this trick you need to use caution. First never cuss out any live person. They are just doing their job. Second make sure you know who is in the room and within ear shot of you when using this trick.

This trick only works with those annoying voice controlled systems which have you say things into the phone like: "service department" or "need advice." Instead of using their prompts start to swear loudly and rapidly into the phone. Believe it or not the system picks it up as a mad customer and puts you right through to an operator. Then you can be as nice and polite as ever.

Get Their Number

I had a dicey problem with computer company which required many calls. The representative gave me a direct phone number. I still use this number whenever I call this company and rarely have to wait on hold.

There are a few of sources for these secret numbers. The first is GetHuman.com. This is a free online service where you can look up virtually any company's phone number and they will give it to you with a rating and user reviews.

The second is LucyPhone. They will also look the number up for you; however, they go one step further. LucyPhone will dial the company and sit on hold for you until somebody answers the call. I have tried it with mixed results.

Another source is to ask. When you reach a human, ask what number to use if you get disconnected. Then store that number for future use. If you are calling a local number try the Yellow Pages.

As businesses keep cutting back on their number of employees and expanding their automation, reaching a human becomes more of a challenge. I hope these few tricks will help you navigate the maze of electronic frustration when you are calling a business.