Waiting in call centre phone queue bad for health: study

More than half of Britons became annoyed while waiting in a call centre queue in the past month,a media report said.

Of those surveyed,64 per cent say their grievance is inflamed further by ‘annoying’ music,which is supposedly played to calm them down.

Dr Roger Henderson,a stress expert,said other symptoms of queue induced stress include a racing heartbeat,sweaty palms and headaches.

This could develop into a more serious medical condition such as chronic anxiety,stomach and bowel upsets — or even the breakdown of relationship,he warned.

Henderson said,“We live in an age where for many people time is the most valuable commodity of all.”

Furthermore,long waits in a queue are not just bad for customers’ health but for the company’s reputation too,the study found.

Almost 70 per cent of the respondents said their impression of a company was ‘permanently damaged’.