‘I work in a call centre – here’s what we really do when we put you on hold’

A woman has shared a little-known insight into what call centre workers really get up to when they put a customer on hold – and it’s far from what you might expect

If you’ve ever tried to get through to a customer service agent, you’ll know it seems to take a lifetime to speak to an actual human. And when you finally do get through to someone, more often than not, you’re immediately placed on hold.

Until today, many have been none the wiser about what call centre workers do while you’re waiting in the queue on hold. Unveiling the truth on TikTok, call centre worker Ellena Walker shared what really goes on behind closed doors.

In her video, which has surpassed a whopping 215,000 views since posting, the TikToker sensationally revealed why she keeps customers on hold “for so long”.

In the video, which was shared to the popular video-streaming service, the woman filmed a colleague waiting for her toenails to dry after a fresh paint.

Captioning the post, Ellena wrote: “If you ever wondered why you get put on hold for so long, we’re applying top coat.”

The viral clip was filmed shortly after the “top coat” was applied.

“And when was this?” the co-worker was shown asking a customer on the phone as she rested her foot underneath the UV lamp.

And according to the comment section, this is only one of many things that workers get up to while delaying their response time.

Rushing to the comments, several users came clean about their antics – from tucking into dinner or even popping to their local McDonald’s.

One person claimed: “I used to love putting customers on hold so I could eat my dinner.”

Ellena replied: “We used to put them on hold and go Maccies drive-thru.”

Meanwhile, a different user wrote: “On my lunch, I say sorry my pc is loading. give me a moment plz. and munch away haha.”

A third commented: “We used to put them on hold and go sit on the balcony to catch five minutes.”

“Ever done it and completely forgotten that they are there?” A fourth questioned.

Another user tagged a friend and wrote: “This is actually us lmao.”

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