QUIZ: Do you have what it takes to work in a call center?

Ever wondered the best time to call customer service so you don’t have to wait on hold so long?

While reporting on a story for Marketplace, I put that question to Christine Kowalczyk, vice president at the Convergys Corporation, and she told me: Wednesday. Before lunchtime.

I figured she should know; her company answered one billion customer service calls last year. Convergys is a company that lots of other companies pay to handle their customer calls.

“But why Wednesday?” I asked.

“It’s hump day,” Kowalczyk explained. On Monday and Tuesday, people are still going through their weekend to-do lists, she noted. By Wednesday it quiets down on the call center floor. Especially just before lunchtime. (Afternoons are always busier as people start to get off work.)

The explanation made sense. But I’m wondering this: if I call customer service on a Wednesday mid-morning and I hear a recorded voice that says, “I’m sorry, call volume is higher than normal. Please call back at a later time…” … can I sue for fraud?

Here’s a list of tips of navigating a customer service call. Take our quiz below.