The Bottom Line

'Sorry, all our agents are busy right now'

Why does it seem so hard to contact a business these days? It's almost like they deliberately hide their phone numbers from us. When we do manage to ring, they often make us sit through an endless list of 'caller options' before allowing us to speaking to anyone. Are they deliberately trying to dissuade us from getting in touch or are we expecting too much too soon from customer services? Evan Davis speak to the people managing our calls.Guests:
Leigh Hopwood: Chief Executive of the Call Centre Management Association
Dave Mills: NHS specialist at EVAD
Tim Callington: Director of technology firm FlipsideProducer: Nick Holland
Studio Managers: James Beard &amp; Rod Farquhar
Production Coordinators: Siobhan Reed &amp; Iona Hammond
Editor: Hugh Levinson .

The definitive business podcast from the BBC. Each week, the BBC's Evan Davis is joined by bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, to lift the lid on how their businesses work, and what it’s like to be in charge. They discuss a big issue, a big challenge, or a big question facing their industry. From managing AI to managing millennials, from supermarkets to supercharging a new product.And our guests will share their stories of success and failure along the way.  Podcasts are published every Thursday. And as well as being a podcast, we are also available every Thursday afternoon and Tuesday evening on BBC Radio 4. You can now also listen to The Bottom Line on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Bottom Line”. It works on most smart speakers.The Bottom Line has published a spin off series - Decisions That Made Me - where Evan asks entrepreneurs and business leaders about the most crucial moments in their lives and careers. You can watch these episodes here: https://t.ly/oJ8lW. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with Evan and the team on email at bottomline@bbc.co.uk.