"Your hold time is approximately 15 minutes, plus or minus a couple of hours. Would you like to play a game while you wait? If so, please say YES."

Then you'd given questions you could answer that would be marked right or wrong and your score would be tallied in a form of percentage right as you waited.

Of course, I know the Harvard type, they'd immediately make sure the questions were about the stupid product or service the customer is waiting on hold for which would be much worse than elevator music so that would have to be outlawed.

Could also just have the option of pushing the numbers on the phone that correspond to your answer so you're not sitting in the dentist office waiting room saying "The Apollo moon landing... Adolph Hitler... ice cream... summer solstice..."
-- doctorremulac3, Feb 07 2021

Fighting Fantasy on Hold Fighting_20Fantasy_20on_20Hold
What a splendid idea, doctorremulac3. You should click this link & give it a croissant immediately! [DrBob, Feb 07 2021]

Or would you prefer... Halfbakery_20on_20hold
...to have the contents of the Halfbakery read to you while you're on hold? [hippo, Feb 08 2021]

With a bit of thought, the soundtrack could be the call audio channel, but the UI could be the smartphone screen.

It's just software, how hard can it be ?
-- 8th of 7, Feb 07 2021


Croissant awarded to you doc.

It occurs to me that having a person's attention is something that fund empires, think click bait, attention grabbing headlines etc. Here's a commodity that's being wasted, people waiting on hold forever.

This could be monetized by games that mention a products name, audio movie trailers, podcast commercials etc. Anything but torture muzak. Nobody likes it, it makes no money and like it's bee suggested, one wonders if the only reason it's there is to drive you away.

If that's the case there are lots of other sounds that would accomplish the same thing but it might not give the illusion of trying to be helpful. Sirens, horn honks, screeching noises like fingernails on glass etc.
-- doctorremulac3, Feb 07 2021


So... idea aside, it is somewhat confusing to see you refer to another halfbaker as doc. Just sayin.

Thought you were talking to yourself from another account for a second there.

I love the idea.
I would just be so pissed if nearing the end of a game and just about to win, it was interrupted by:
"How can I help you?..."
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 08 2021


//sitting in the dentist office waiting room saying "The Apollo moon landing... Adolph Hitler... ice cream... summer solstice..."//

Hmm ... they've been watching me again.
-- pertinax, Feb 08 2021


//I would just be so pissed if nearing the end of a game and just about to win, it was interrupted by: "How can I help you?..."//

I thought of that, then didn't have a solution. Let me think.

Ok, the person answers "Thank you for holding, you'll be reconnected to your game after I assist you to continue playing if you wish. How may I help you today?"

Because a game that gets suddenly cut off would be more annoying than on hold music.
-- doctorremulac3, Feb 08 2021


What about if you put the call centre person on hold until you've finished your game?
-- hippo, Feb 08 2021


You could call them back while they are having dinner...
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 08 2021


I'd previously voted for DrBob's version, and now

//Ok, the person answers "Thank you for holding, you'll be reconnected to your game after I assist you to continue playing if you wish. How may I help you today?"//

I also vote for this, on the basis of this innovation.
-- Loris, Feb 08 2021


I like all the aforementioned games/gags/gifs described here. Anything but annoying music that sounds like two tuna tins being smashed together, really hard.
-- blissmiss, Feb 10 2021



random, halfbakery