When on hold, instead of annoying music, why not have random parts of wikipedia or similar reference read out to pass the time. Even better if read in a Sideshow Bob voice-- simonj, Mar 14 2012 Continue to Hold, Where Knights are Bold.. Continue_20to_20Hol...nights_20Are_20BoldA classic [RayfordSteele, Mar 15 2012] Call Queuing Adverts Call_20Queuing_20AdvertsMore profitable. [DrBob, Mar 15 2012] Fashion Models Gone Bad Fashion_20Models_20...Bad_2c_20Disc_20One [normzone, Mar 15 2012] I want Mr. Moviephone to tell me about the tribes of northern Khazakstan while I'm waiting to speak with a customer service representative. Better yet, maybe he could just teach me their language; that way, when I finally get a live human being on the line, I'll stand a better chance of them understanding my problem.
[+]-- Alterother, Mar 15 2012 Alternatively, just play clips of QI.-- marklar, Mar 15 2012 Better than music, but not as good as silence.
For maximum information on hold, the best would be a hissing sound, as close to white as the telephone system permits.-- mouseposture, Mar 15 2012 mandate their competitions' adverts.-- FlyingToaster, Mar 15 2012 [+] I might enjoy this unless the info got cut-off when they were ready to talk!! At the University where I work, there are info-mercials about the school and actually some interesting facts that I didn't know!-- xandram, Mar 15 2012 I prefer something bland and monotone when on hold. I put the phone onto speaker then go about my work and only perk up when I hear someone speaking. I hate it when they interupt muzac with voices but its only their commercial or someone telling me how important my call is to them. I would find this system distracting.-- AusCan531, Mar 15 2012 Not a Krusty the Clown voice?
I suppose there's always DocBrown's on-hold storytime...-- RayfordSteele, Mar 15 2012 Anything's better than Handel's 'Wedding Suite'.-- Alterother, Mar 15 2012 Perhaps "Press 1 for monotonous Muzak, Press 2 for the history of metallurgy, Press 3 for clips of QI" and so on.-- AusCan531, Mar 15 2012 ... Press 666 for a burst of Carmina Burana at maximum volume and then an immediate transfer to the Accounts Department ...-- 8th of 7, Mar 15 2012 Which movement?-- Alterother, Mar 15 2012 Estuans interius. Obviously.-- mouseposture, Mar 15 2012 Good choice!-- Alterother, Mar 15 2012 not O Fortuna..?-- simonj, Mar 16 2012 SO overused.-- Alterother, Mar 16 2012 I've had BBC news before. I was impressed.-- TomP, Mar 16 2012 For Darwin's sake, Someone get out there and make this happen boffins !!-- PainOCommonSense, Mar 16 2012 My Dad is looking for a new on-hold recording for his vet clinic; Ima suggest the Beeb, that's wicked cool.-- Alterother, Mar 21 2012 er, slight correction. In the original post I mentioned Sideshow Bob..what I was actually thinking of was Sideshow Mel. It's the small details that count!-- simonj, Mar 21 2012 random, halfbakery