If you’ve ever tried calling the customer service helpline of a major company, chances are you might be placed in their call queue and you could be waiting for anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour before someone finally gets to you. Some people have the patience to stay on the line, while others start getting frustrated at the 5 minute mark, and if you’re wondering if it is possible for you to skip the queue, you might want to try swearing into the phone the next time you find yourself waiting. One Reddit user discovered this when placing a call to Apple Support and decided to swear at the machine while on hold.
Surprisingly the call got cut and a few seconds later he was transferred to a live human being where he managed describe his problem to. Now this particular feature isn’t limited to Apple’s customer service helpline and many other companies use it too. Dubbed the Interactive Voice Response system, this is a system installed by companies in their helpline that monitors and looks for keywords or stress in voices to determine if a call needs to be answered and dealt with immediately to prevent further unnecessary stress or frustration. Most of the time the call will be transferred to someone who might not be able to help you, but simply apologize as a real human being as opposed to a machine, before placing you back into queue. Pretty interesting and something you might be interested in trying next time you find yourself waiting too long.
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