How to get through to a human
Pick the menu option for billing, cancelling or complaints, call early in the morning or mid-week, and ask for a callback if it's offered. Or let your simp wait on hold for up to 6 minutes, then let you know so you can take over.
What you can do yourself.
It varies by company, so treat these as what usually works rather than what always does.
Pick billing, cancelling or complaintsThose options usually reach a person fastest, because they are the calls companies least want to lose.
Ask for an advisor, or press 0If the menu doesn't understand you, saying "speak to an advisor" or pressing 0 works on some lines, not all.
Call when it's quietFirst thing in the morning and mid-week tend to have the shortest queues. Monday mornings and lunchtimes are usually the longest.
Take the callbackIf they offer to ring you back, say yes. You keep your place without being stuck on hold.
Have your details readyKeep your account number and postcode to hand before you dial, so you don't lose the person while you look.
Try chat or the appLive chat or the company's own app sometimes has a shorter queue than the phone line.
The catch: none of this makes the queue shorter. On a busy line you still wait, and you have to be there when someone picks up.
How a simp does it.
Alex needed an appointment. Poppy rang and waited in the queue, and when the receptionist picked up, Alex took over.
Poppy - Sit in the queueOutgoing - AI number - 4:46- 00:00 - Phone menuYou are number 14 in the queue.
- 02:42 - PoppyStill holding.
- 04:38 - ReceptionistReception, sorry for the wait.
- 04:41 - PoppyNo problem - I have Alex here for an appointment. Connecting you now.
4 minutes of hold music you did not hear.
Can an AI wait on hold for me?
Yes. Your simp rings the number, works through the phone menu and waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. If a person answers first, you tap Take over in the Simp app and pick up for the conversation. Any call your simp is handling ends after 10 minutes.
Hold time counts towards your AI minutes, the same as the rest of the call, so a call that holds for the full 6 minutes uses 6 of them. Simp AI includes 10, Simp+ includes 10 and Simp Pro includes 20 AI minutes a month. If you run low, top-up packs of 10, 20 or 30 minutes are in the app and last 60 days from when you buy them.
Compare the plansHow long a UK queue can be.
Figures the organisations and Citizens Advice publish, each with the period it covers. They change, so check with the organisation for the latest.
| Organisation | Published figure | What it measures | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMRC helplines | 8 minutes 20 seconds on average | Time waiting in the queue for an adviser, from the end of the automated menu to speaking to a person | August 2026 |
| HMRC helplines | 34.8% of calls waited more than 10 minutes | Calls handled by an adviser where the wait in the queue was over 10 minutes | August 2026 |
| DWP phone lines | 5 minutes 36 seconds on average | Average speed of answer across the DWP telephony network, outsourced centres included | April 2025 to March 2026 |
| Energy suppliers (Citizens Advice Star Rating) | 68 seconds, the median | Median call wait time across the energy suppliers Citizens Advice rates | April to June 2026 |
If the queue is longer than 6 minutes, your simp lets you know so you can take over, and the call ends if you don't.
Your simp holds. You talk.
Tell your simp who to call and why. It works through the menus and waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. When a person answers, you tap Take over and pick up for the actual conversation.
Questions about getting through to a human.
Does waiting on hold use my AI minutes?
Yes. Time your simp spends waiting on hold comes out of your monthly AI minutes, the same as the rest of the call. You can top up in the app if you run low.
Compare the plansHow long will my simp wait on hold?
Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. Any call your simp is handling ends after 10 minutes. Hand-over isn't automatic: you tap Take over in the Simp app.
What your simp is allowed to doWhat happens if they ask security questions?
You tap Take over before it gets that far, and answer them yourself. It never gives out your passwords, PINs or security answers.
What your simp is allowed to do
Let your simp do the waiting.
Every plan comes with a simp that waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over.
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