excessive time spent on hold

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "excessive time spent on hold" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing customer service experiences, particularly when referring to long wait times on the phone. Example: "Many customers have expressed frustration over the excessive time spent on hold when trying to reach support."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

"We will consider providing guidance to schools to reinforce good practice and to re-emphasise our position that excessive time spent on test preparation would be unacceptable.

The Guardian

"Our forthcoming inspection guidance will make clear that the delivery of high-quality learning should not be impaired by excessive time spent on planning, recording and reporting".

BBC

In the United States, courts have accepted evidence of parents' excessive time spent on online, with interactive gaming websites such as FarmVille or World of Warcraft.

Huffington Post

The record for time spent on hold is three hours.

The New Yorker

That's better than average, but still a fair bit of time spent on hold.

The New York Times

6 Thus, excessive time spent in sedentary behaviour is undoubtedly having an impact on public health.

BMJ Open

Excessive time spent getting or using alcohol, or recovering from its effects.

Harvard University

Make no mistake, it's well-documented that excessive time spent working will actually make you less productive over time.

Forbes

More controversially, social media operators like Facebook could start using their behavioral data to identify excessive users and provide strategies to limit time spent on their products.

The Washington Post

I actually held the world record for longest time spent on fire for awhile.

Vice

Booster group sessions have a structure similar to the group sessions held in phase 1 (Table 2); however the amount of time spent on various components is less.

BMC Public Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing customer service, quantify "excessive time spent on hold" with specific durations to emphasize the problem.

Common error

Avoid simply stating "excessive time spent on hold" without providing context or impact. Explain how this waiting time affects customers or business operations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "excessive time spent on hold" functions as a noun phrase, often acting as the subject or object of a sentence. It describes the experience of waiting on the telephone for an unreasonably long period. As per Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and conveys a clear meaning.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

25%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

10%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "excessive time spent on hold" is a grammatically sound and easily understandable way to describe the frustrating experience of waiting too long on the phone. Ludwig confirms its correctness and usability. While not extremely frequent, it's common across various contexts, especially in News & Media, Science and Academia for criticizing customer service and highlighting inefficiencies. To make your writing more impactful, quantify the "excessive time" and explain its consequences. When applicable you can replace it with alternatives such as "prolonged waiting time on the phone", "extended hold duration" or "unreasonable wait times on the phone".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Prolonged waiting time on the phone

Emphasizes the length of the wait experienced while calling.

Extended hold duration

Focuses on the duration of being placed on hold.

Unreasonable wait times on the phone

Highlights the unacceptability of the long wait.

Lengthy period on hold

Similar to the original phrase, but uses "lengthy period" instead of "excessive time".

Considerable time on hold

Replaces "excessive" with "considerable" to express a significant amount of waiting.

Inordinate amount of time waiting on the line

Replaces "excessive" with "inordinate" to convey an excessive degree.

Long queues before call connection

Focuses on long waiting list of customers wanting to speak to the operator.

Substantial delays connecting to customer service

Highlights the delay experienced when connecting to customer service.

Unacceptably long hold times

Expresses the sentiment that the hold times are too long to be tolerated.

Undue period kept waiting on call

Highlights the undue nature of the time spent waiting on a call.

FAQs

How can I avoid "excessive time spent on hold" when contacting customer service?

Try calling during off-peak hours, use online chat options if available, or research if the company offers a call-back feature to avoid waiting on the line.

What are the effects of "excessive time spent on hold" on customer satisfaction?

It can lead to frustration, dissatisfaction, and a negative perception of the company, potentially resulting in lost business and negative reviews.

What is an alternative to saying "excessive time spent on hold"?

You can use alternatives such as "prolonged waiting time on the phone", "extended hold duration", or "unreasonable wait times on the phone" depending on the context.

How do companies measure "excessive time spent on hold"?

Companies often track average hold times and abandonment rates (the percentage of callers who hang up before speaking to someone) to identify and address issues with long wait times.