The Death of Hold Music Why Waiting on the Line Is Over - Zendesk

Waiting on hold has become a cultural meme for a reason. People now experience “instant” everywhere else, food deliveries, banking, streaming. So when support asks them to wait, it doesn’t feel normal. It feels like outdated plumbing.

In this CX Today video, Rob Wilkinson sits down with Nuri Goj, Director of Platform Architecture for Zendesk Contact Center, to unpack what’s really happening inside the queue. From repeat contacts and KPI trade-offs to agent burnout and “AI theatre”, this is a grounded conversation about what it takes to remove uncertainty and reduce avoidable demand.

What you’ll take away:

• Why hold time isn’t neutral, it creates churn, repeat calls, and public complaints
• The hidden cost of “queue economics”: staffing spikes, escalations, and conflicting KPIs
• Why customers arrive to agents looking for justice, not help, and what that does to frontline teams
• Where “zero wait” works best (high-volume, repeatable intents) and where it needs human judgement
• The difference between bolt-on bots, hyperscaler DIY, and integrated service AI
• Why integration is the line between a helpful conversation and a resolved issue

Who should watch

• Heads of CX, Contact Centre Directors, COOs, and Customer Success leaders
• IT and digital leaders responsible for service platforms, data, and governance
• CX marketing and ops teams looking to reduce repeat work and improve resolution