I had a phone call yesterday that resembled a customer service call. The call was to a personal cell phone number and I was asking if there were any tickets available for an upcoming trip. She went to check and put me on hold.
The hold lasted for nearly 8 minutes, and it was pure silence.
When calling customer service, having you wait until someone picks up would result in listening to elevator-type music. Some find that annoying; others appreciate it.
Customer service typically provides background sound. They do this so the caller knows they’re still connected and avoid disconnecting.
But some prefer the peace of silence. It can be uncomfortable at first, but practicing silence calmed me and allowed me to think, much like my experience with yesterday’s phone call. It gave me time to be deliberate.
She came back after the 8 minutes and gave me an answer. We wrapped it up shortly after, I hung up, and went on with my day.
Here’s my inspiration for the day.