HP realizes that mandatory 15-minute support call wait times isn’t good support

HP rescinds European support call strategy due to "feedback."

In an odd approach to trying to improve customer tech support, HP allegedly implemented mandatory, 15-minute wait times for people calling the vendor for help with their computers and printers in certain geographies.

Callers from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, and Italy were met with the forced holding periods, The Register reported on Thursday. The publication cited internal communications it saw from February 18 that reportedly said the wait times aimed to "influence customers to increase their adoption of digital self-solve, as a faster way to address their support question. This involves inserting a message of high call volumes, to expect a delay in connecting to an agent and offering digital self-solve solutions as an alternative.”

Even if HP's telephone support center wasn't busy, callers would reportedly hear:

We are experiencing longer waiting times and we apologize for the inconvenience. The next available representative will be with you in about 15 minutes.

 

To quickly resolve your issue, please visit our website support.hp.com to check out other support options or find helpful articles and assistant to get a guided help by visiting virtualagent.hpcloud.hp.com.

Callers were then told to “please stay on the line” if they wanted to speak to a representative. The phone system was also set to remind customers of their other support options and to apologize for the long, (HP-induced) wait times upon the fifth, 10th, and 13th minute of the call.

The mandatory support call times have been lifted, per a company statement shared by HP spokesperson Katie Derkits:

We're always looking for ways to improve our customer service experience. This support offering was intended to provide more digital options with the goal of reducing time to resolve inquiries. We have found that many of our customers were not aware of the digital support options we provide. Based on initial feedback, we know the importance of speaking to live customer service agents in a timely fashion is paramount. As a result, we will continue to prioritize timely access to live phone support to ensure we are delivering an exceptional customer experience.

HP didn’t immediately clarify when it removed the wait times. Some HP workers were reportedly unhappy with the mandatory hold times, with an anonymous “insider” in HP’s European operations reportedly telling The Register, per its Thursday report: "Many within HP are pretty unhappy [about] the measures being taken and the fact those making decisions don't have to deal with the customers who their decisions impact."

An ironic approach to support

Forcing longer wait times is an odd move for a company that has previously tried to market its support capabilities as a reason to buy its hardware.

In 2023, for example, HP released the Dragonfly Pro laptop with a dedicated button for accessing 24/7 HP support. The button was said to bring access to a chatbot or live person. The service came free with the PC for the first year and then cost $11 per month. Notably, HP released the Dragonfly Pro at a time when laptop makers were scrambling for ways to get people to buy laptops, following a drop in sales after the COVID-19 pandemic lift.

HP also offers 24/7 support, including offering a "dedicated phone number" for other devices, including printers and networking hardware [PDF].

A 2023 analysis of laptop tech support conducted by Laptop Mag scored HP support highest when accessed via phone (18 points out of a max of 30) or via HP’s support website (12 out of 20 points), with the most helpful aspect there reportedly being HP’s community forum. The publication noted that support calls “went rather well if not a little long in particular areas.”

While the quality of HP’s phone support could have changed in the past couple of years, it was questionable for HP to drive people away from one of its better support systems. It’s hard to accept HP’s claims that it implemented longer call wait times because of unawareness around its online support options. It’s likely that many access HP’s website to find HP’s support phone number. As of this writing, HP’s support page offers various forms of online help before offering a way to call HP, which requires entering a device's serial number first.

Like many other firms have, it seems that HP could have benefitted financially from potentially being able to staff fewer customer service phone reps. HP's former support strategy also has us wondering how many other companies' support teams have forced call wait times.

HP, at least, has apparently learned that extending wait times isn’t a good way to support customers. Although, we can’t guarantee that customers won’t still end up spending longer on the phone than they’d like when calling HP customer service.

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