Nearly every time I call a customer service line, I end up waiting 15-30 minutes for someone to answer the phone, or I have to repeatedly tap “0” to reach the live representative. If you’ve ever had to listen to music on hold for more than a few minutes, you know that it can be utterly soul-sucking, which is why I’m thrilled to try out a brilliant new feature from Google that can wait on hold for you while you get to go about your day.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Google recently added a new feature for Search Labs users in the US. If you are enrolled in Google’s Search Labs, you should see a new experiment called “Talk to a Live Representative” on the Search Labs website.
In order to use the feature, you’ll first need to enable it in Search Labs. Once you do, search for one of the supported businesses on Google (i.e. “delta air lines customer service”), and look for the prompt that reads “Talk to a live representative” near the top of the page.
Tap the “Request a call” button, and Google will provide an estimated wait time and explain how the call will play out. You will then be asked to provide the reason for your call and a valid phone number at which to reach you. Google then calls the support line, waits on hold for as long as it takes, and then calls you when a live representative answers the phone.
Here are all of the supported businesses as of February 20, 2024:
- Airlines: Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
- Telecommunications: Assurance Wireless, Boost Mobile, Charter Communications, Cricket Wireless, Samsung
- Retail: Best Buy, Costco, GameStop, The Home Depot, Walmart
- Services: ADT, DHL, FedEx, Grubhub, Instacart, Securus Technologies, StubHub, UPS, Waste Management, Zelle
- Insurance: Esurance, State Farm
This feature is currently available in the Google app on iOS and Android as well as on Chrome for desktop. If you aren’t signed up for Google’s Search Labs, you can head to this page to get started and gain access to all of the experiments.
