Ground-breaking University of York research rewrites the rules of hold music

Led by music psychologist Dr Mimi O'Neill, researchers at the University of York put 2,540 participants ‘on hold’ - playing them hours of songs and sounds to test their response.

The ground-breaking study was commissioned by mobile network provider Talkmobile as part of its commitment to enhance its already industry-leading customer service rating.

Recreating a real-life call experience, listeners were left waiting on the line for two minutes and 22 seconds while one of 10 audio tracks was piped into their ears, with researchers monitoring their heart rate, mood and alertness.

Participants were randomly played one of seven music tracks - from pop to hip-hop and classical - or one of three alternative audio clips, including silence, nature sounds and trivia.

At the end of the experiment, listeners were asked to score the audio out of 10 and also estimate how long they believed they had been left waiting on hold.

The average Brit spends 38.2 minutes on hold waiting to speak to an advisor in customer service before eventually giving up, according to a Talkmobile study from earlier this year.

The stand-out winner across all categories was trivia. Participants given general knowledge questions to ponder felt the most positive about their experience at the end of the call.

Trivia questions and facts received an average score of 6.60, while participants also ranked it the second shortest experience waiting on hold, after silence, making it a popular alternative when placed on hold.

Participants found trivia to be ‘calming, entertaining, and mentally stimulating’ compared to music, though some added it would become ‘irritating’ if it were on a continual loop.

Blues was the second favourite audio for participants, and therefore the most popular actual hold music in the experiment, with a score of 6.12 out of 10.

Many respondents appreciated the bluesy feel of the music, saying it ‘helped pass the time’, made the experience more ‘pleasant’, and even prompted some to ‘tap their feet’ or ‘dance’.

According to the research, Black Sabbath fans are very much in the minority where hold music is concerned - with heavy metal scoring a dismal 5.10 out of 10.

Heavy metal made participants feel ‘overstimulated’ by its ‘repetitive, loud, or aggravating tone’. Some listeners even reported headaches or being left in distress after the experiment.

Participants were also asked to estimate how long they believed they were being put on hold for while listening to each type of music.

After silence (1.49 minutes) and trivia (3.04 minutes), rock music was the third-shortest on the list of estimated average hold time, with three minutes and five seconds.

All other musical genres - from classical to pop - gave listeners a sense they were waiting longer, with Nature sounds and hip-hop coming last at 3.23.

And, one in ten people (11.4%) dropped out before the experiment concluded.

Dr O’Neill said, “We wanted to dig into what's really happening in people's minds when they're stuck on hold. This goes way beyond just keeping customers happy; it's about how the sounds we hear can actually reshape our mood and behaviour in those mundane moments we all experience.

"This isn't just about customer satisfaction, it's about how sound and music can influence human behaviour and emotional well-being in everyday situations.

“Respondents found the factual content engaging, original, and informative, highlighting a clear appreciation for learning during wait times, which many said made the experience more enjoyable and mentally engaging.”

Talkmobile spokesperson Stuart Wilson said: “These findings are genuinely game-changing for how we approach customer service.

“Although 96% of our calls are answered within 20 seconds, we understand that waiting can be frustrating, so while we work to keep hold times minimal, we also aim to make that time as pleasant and engaging as possible.

“At Talkmobile, we're committed to ensuring our customers are met with the highest quality of service, our industry-leading Trustpilot score of 4.7 reflects that dedication.

“We're already exploring how to implement trivia in our hold queues.”