Are You Doing the Right Things to Reduce Hold Time?

The time agents waste putting customers on hold is one of the most visible indicators of efficiency in a contact centre, yet it remains one of the trickiest to manage – as the root causes are often complex.

That’s why we spoke to customer contact experts for their top advice on the best approaches to try, so you can help keep conversations moving and maintain great service.

Identify Where Gaps Exist and Improve Access to Answers

When customers are put on hold, it’s often because agents can’t access the information they need quickly. Whether it’s searching knowledge bases or waiting for supervisor input, the delay is often a process issue!

The best way to overcome this is to systematically identify where gaps exist, improve accessibility, and provide agents with immediate answers.

When you proactively take steps to refine your processes and tools, you’ll find that hold time drops naturally – without stressing agents or compromising customer service.

Not only that, but a robust process framework ensures agents know exactly where to find the right information and when escalation is appropriate – dramatically reducing cognitive load.

Turn Agents Into Knowledge Curators

You can reinforce this process and firmly embed it across your contact centre by empowering agents to act as knowledge curators.

“I love turning agents into knowledge curators. By giving them access to a centralized knowledge hub and encouraging them to assess information at the start of each call, agents develop habits that naturally reduce hold time.

They begin flagging gaps, fixing issues collaboratively, and building a team that is consistent and highly knowledgeable.

This approach also ensures it’s not a one-off exercise; it’s a continuous practice that elevates the whole team and ensures every customer interaction is better than the last.” – Nate Brown, Head of Education and Enablement for Metric Sherpa and Co-founder of CX Accelerator

This is so effective because agents in this model aren’t just accessing information – they’re actively improving it.

This creates a cycle of continuous improvement that benefits everyone. It also ensures that when hold time does occur, it’s almost always for legitimate reasons, such as incomplete or unique customer queries, rather than gaps in agent knowledge.

For advice on some of the best actionable strategies to create a dynamic and collaborative contact centre environment, read our article: Want to Foster Knowledge Sharing Between Your Agents?

Set Up Teams Channels So Agents Can Help Each Other as Quickly as Possible

Another effective approach is to set up Teams channels to help agents help one another behind the scenes – so when agents can’t find the answer they need, they can reach out to a colleague for a quick answer, helping them keep customers on hold for as little time as possible.

“In our contact centre, we use Teams channels to provide quick answers when a customer is on hold.

Experienced advisors can often type a query while continuing to engage the customer, keeping the interaction smooth and uninterrupted.

The key is giving agents tools and processes that allow them to multitask without the customer noticing.

Peer shadowing and knowledge sessions reinforce these skills, allowing team members to learn from one another rather than relying solely on supervisors.

This builds relationships, confidence, and the ability to solve issues quickly – dramatically reducing hold times while keeping service quality high.” – Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch

It’s equally important to distinguish between the quick answer that is urgently needed mid-call and the additional information and coaching that is needed after the fact, as overloading agents with information mid-call can create unnecessary stress and delays.

It’s about tuning into the timing and context of each query to keep things moving forward, whilst also doing appropriate follow-up so agents can refine their skills – all without inconveniencing the customer.

Look Into Where Team Capacity May Also Be Driving Up Hold Times

That being said, hold time isn’t always caused by knowledge gaps. Underlying structural factors, such as team capacity, can also play a major role in undermining your efforts.

“Often, hold time isn’t the agent’s fault. It comes down to the organization’s ability to meet demand.

If the centre is under-resourced or the team lacks understanding of expected volumes, hold time will naturally increase, so make sure to also focus on where you can improve capacity – including ensuring customers know about self-serve options.

When agents are supported collectively by sufficient staffing, clear processes, and proactive service systems, they can handle calls efficiently without unnecessary hold time.

The metric becomes a reflection of good planning rather than individual pressure.” – Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa

For top tips and strategies for improving capacity planning, read our article: Top Tips for Capacity Planning to Meet Customer Demand

Keep an Eye Out for Behavioural Factors Impacting Performance

Above and beyond this, behavioural patterns, such as agents extending calls at the end of their shift, can also impact your hold times.

So don’t turn a blind eye! Instead, look out for patterns, call out behaviours, and give supervisors the insight they need to tackle these issues head on.

“Sometimes high hold times are linked to behaviour rather than knowledge gaps. For example, agents nearing the end of their shift might deliberately leave a customer on hold for a bit longer than necessary – with the sole aim of avoiding getting stuck on another call.

Leaders need to differentiate between knowledge-related delays and behavioural tendencies. Both present coaching opportunities, but the approach differs.

By identifying the cause, providing targeted support, and reinforcing expectations, supervisors help agents maintain efficiency without punitive measures.” – Arlyne Pardo, Workforce Senior Manager, DASH BPO.

A Culture of Continuous Improvement Is Key to Long-Term Success

Hold time should never be seen as a problem in and of itself. It is always the symptom of deeper structural, process, or knowledge-related issues – and should be treated as such!

There is certainly no “quick fix”! However, by driving a culture of continuous improvement tackling the true root causes, leaders can nurture a more confident, capable, and collaborative contact centre team and significantly reduce hold time.

To find out how to embrace continuous improvement, read our article: Make Continuous Improvement Part of Your DNA

What Have You Tried to Reduce Hold Time in Your Contact Centre?

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With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:

• Arlyne Pardo, Workforce Senior Manager, DASH BPO
• Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa
• Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch
• Nate Brown, Head of Education and Enablement for Metric Sherpa and Co-founder of CX Accelerator

If you want more information to improve how you handle hold time in your contact centre, read these articles next:

• IVR Messaging: 11 Examples of On-Hold Messages
• Seven Tips to Avoid Dead Air Time in Customer Service Calls
• Need to Reduce Call Transfers? Try These Approaches

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson