20 Sneaky Tricks That Call Centre Agents Use to Avoid Calls

Call centres are fast-paced environments that rely on efficiency, teamwork, and quick response times to provide great customer service, but some agents develop clever tricks to avoid calls.

While some methods are easy to spot, others require deeper monitoring. This article highlights common call avoidance tactics, how to detect them, and strategies to help avoid these behaviours.

Call Centre Tricks to Avoid Calls

1. Switching Between Available and Unavailable

If your telephony system allocates calls according to which advisor has been available the longest, as most do, then this is an easy system to manipulate to avoid taking calls.

On a quiet day, when there are several people on ‘idle’ status (perhaps in both senses of the word), setting yourself to unavailable for a few seconds, then back onto available again, can shuffle you from the front of the queue for the next call, right to the back.

This is the easiest and most obvious way of slacking off and call avoidance. It’s easy to find an excuse to be offline for less than a minute: taking off a jumper, getting a new notepad from the stationery cupboard, getting a glass of water or uncoiling a headset wire will do the job.

2. Not Ending a Call When a Customer Disconnects

Contact centre advisors rarely end a call themselves – they say goodbye, the caller hangs up and the line goes dead. Sometimes, though, the line doesn’t go dead. The caller has gone, but the line remains open. It just hangs.

If you were an honest advisor with a good work ethic, you’d hit the ‘terminate call’ button and move on to the next one. The alternative, though, is to just sit and chill out for a while.

According to any kind of telephony software, you are still ‘on a call’ and working hard, so no one is likely to ask why on earth you are sitting there doing nothing.

The same principle applies when transferring a call, as the original advisor could keep the line open while a second advisor handles the query.

3. Pressing Mute and Pretending There Is a Fault on the Line

If an advisor wants to take a break during a call instead of waiting until the contact is resolved, some individuals may fiddle with the mute button.

This will either extend handling time, with the advisor being able to take quick breaks to perhaps check their phone, or, as is more likely, the customer will hang up and maybe call again.

The advisor will then move to the back of the advisor queue, while the contact centre cannot be sure as to whose line was faulty and may not be able to tell during quality monitoring sessions.

4. Rounding Up Breaks

When does a break start? Is it the moment you click the ‘unavailable’ button, or is it when you physically walk out of the office?

It’s an important distinction, because there are plenty of time-wasting opportunities with the latter.

If your lunch break is at midday, you can come off the phones bang on the hour, then go report something minor to your supervisor, quickly reply to an email, get your sandwich out of the fridge, put your coat on then walk out the door, looking at your watch and thinking “right, I left the office at ten past twelve”.

If you do something similar when you return from break, you could feasibly eke out a half-hour lunch break into fifty minutes off the phones.

5. Making After-Call Work Personal

Some calls require a minute or two of after-call work, just to tie up the admin – some don’t.

But unless you are being directly monitored, supervisors have no way of actually knowing which calls require after-call work and which don’t.

So if you want to send a personal email, check the footie scores, find some juicy celeb gossip online or just sit there for a bit, you know there is that one or two minute pause after each call that is never going to arouse suspicion.

6. Tactical Toilet Breaks

Now here’s a difficult one to enforce.

If an advisor goes wandering for a full ten minutes and then tells you they were on a ‘bathroom break’, are you really going to ask for all the gory details of how those ten minutes were spent?

Six of those ten minutes could have been spent leaning against the sinks, texting or Twitter surfing, safe in the jurisdictional blackout zone of the ladies’ or gents’.

7. Hiding Behind the ‘IT problem’

IT problems are a pain and hearing all the details about them is boring. If an advisor says they’re offline because of an IT problem, you may just tell them to call the IT guys to fix it and get back online asap.

There are many kinds of IT problems, though: is it a ‘blue screen of death’ that renders the entire workstation unusable? Or is it just a minor fault on a single software package that isn’t even essential for handling calls?

8. Ducking the Last Call of the Day

This is probably the single most common way of shirking work in a call centre.

It’s 4.55pm, you’re exhausted after a long day and you know you’ll be out of the door in just a few minutes, unless you get lumbered with that last call of the day.

Almost all of the previous six tricks can be used as a way of ducking the last call. Maybe you’ll just eke out the after-call work from your previous customer or find a way to shuffle yourself to the back of the pack. Maybe you’ll get lucky and your would-be penultimate call will present you with a hanger to sit on for five minutes.

Contributed by: Matt Phil Carver

9. Advisors Calling Their Own Mobile Phone

Some advisors who can make outbound calls have been known to call their own phone, and perhaps even a friend’s phone, and then leave both ends hanging.

By doing this, an advisor can take all the time they wish to have an unauthorised break at their desk, while most telephony software would report that the advisor is hard at work.

10. Re-Recording an Answerphone Message

If an advisor making outbound calls were to reach an answering machine, many would have the opportunity to re-record the message that they left the customer.

While this is an option that is used by advisors who would like to re-create their message so that it has greater appeal, accuracy or just so it sounds better, some advisors may abuse this function.

This can prolong a contact when the advisor just has to repeat a simple message and can effectively allow for breaks to be taken on a call.

11. Keeping the Line Open During a Post-Call Survey

Many contact centres will run a survey at the end of a call to formulate a Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Effort Score (CES) or to determine First Call Resolution (FCR).

Most of these surveys are done through an IVR, so that advisors have more time to handle the queries of other customers.

Yet some advisors will hold the line instead of hanging up. This allows them to break for the duration of the customer survey, with management none the wiser.

12. Going into AUX Mode for a Split Second

When it nears the time when an advisor needs to handle a call, some individuals may go into AUX mode, which will signal them as being unavailable for a split second.

While this is only for a short moment, it is enough time for most telephony systems to push that advisor to the back of the advisor queue, meaning that their break between calls increases.

13. Call Flushing

This technique involves an advisor picking up the phone but not saying anything and hanging up only one or two seconds after opening the line.

When an advisor does this, the customer will simply assume that there was a fault on the line and will most likely call back, while the advisor will fall to the back of the advisor queue. So, the original customer’s call will likely be handled by someone else on the contact centre floor.

14. Giving the Wrong Information to a Customer

During a long call, advisors may be tempted to give false information to the customer, in order to bring the contact to a swifter conclusion.

While this is perhaps the most damaging trick, in terms of the damaging the customer–company relationship, it is also difficult to pick up on…

15. Transferring Calls Back into the Queue

With advisors having the capability to transfer a call to their colleagues, it is also possible to transfer a contact back into the queue.

This will mark the call as handled by that particular advisor, while the call will be transferred to the next available individual on the contact centre floor.

16. Pretending to Not Hear the Caller

According to Dave Salisbury, MBA, his “favourite” trick to both watch and listen back to were incidents where an advisor “was pretending they could not hear the caller and advising them to call back.”

This call would then be handled by another member of the contact centre team, while the original advisor would be entitled to a short break after “handling” the call.

Contributed by: Ian Robertson, Customer Contact Specialist at The Forum

17. Extending Wrap Time

One scenario that we see frequently is an advisor spending a significant amount of time in the post-call ‘Wrap Up’ state.

This is where the advisor will pretend to take notes or update CRM information for longer than necessary to delay the next call they receive.

Contributed by: Chris Liko

18. Call Riding

This is when an advisor conferences in the other employee, whether that is another advisor or a supervisor, and stays on the call listening to both the other employee and the customer.

While this can be done for a number of valid reasons, such as it can be a good way to train the team, it can also be used as a way for advisors to avoid work.

19. Single Digit Dial

An interesting trick that one of our (now ex) advisors found was if they pressed a digit as if you are making an outbound call, then system can’t push a call to them and also does not show they are on an outbound call as they have only pressed one digit.

Contributed by: Christopher Wilson

20. The Query “That Grows Arms and Legs”

One trick I notice is the query, where the advisor asks a query perfectly validly to their colleague or manager.

Then before you know it, ten minutes has gone by discussing the football scores, drawbacks of the job, and even what they’re having for tea.

Contributed by: Sally Brown

Ways to Avoid Advisors Playing Tricks

A few of our readers shared suggestions on how contact centres can prevent agents from using call avoidance tactics. Here are some of the key strategies:

Have Good Management

Effective management is key to reducing call avoidance, but many agents feel pressured by unrealistic expectations, lack of support, or inconsistent leadership.

Fair, transparent, and supportive managers who listen to their teams, set achievable goals, and ensure clear communication can build an environment of trust and accountability, reducing the need for agents to resort to alternative solutions.

Encourage Teamwork

To prevent advisors from unfairly shifting calls onto their teammates, creating a strong sense of teamwork is essential. When agents consistently duck out at the last minute, it places an unfair burden on others, leading to frustration and resentment.

Team-building exercises and open discussions can help create a team where everyone shares responsibilities equally, ensuring no one is left overwhelmed while others avoid difficult calls.

Introduce Flexible Shifts

Allowing some flexibility in shift timings can help reduce stress among agents, with some call centres introducing policies where shifts can be flexed by 15 minutes in certain situations.

This ensures that even if an agent gets stuck on a call, they can leave earlier on another day, preventing frustration and burnout. Additionally, scheduling shifts to extend slightly beyond phone line closing times can reduce the pressure of taking last-minute calls.

Compensate for Overtime

Ensuring agents are fairly compensated for staying beyond their shift is a great way to prevent call avoidance.

A simple and effective way to reimburse agents for any extra time they work outside their normal working hours is to provide overtime pay.

Some call centres offer Time Off in Lieu (TOIL), allowing agents to reclaim the extra time worked if they were stuck on calls past their scheduled hours.

Without proper compensation, agents may feel undervalued, leading to disengagement and a higher likelihood of avoiding late calls. Fair policies around overtime payment or TOIL not only improve morale but also foster a culture of trust and fairness.

Find Compromises

Understanding employees’ needs – such as adjusting schedules for public transport concerns or personal commitments – helps build a loyal and engaged workforce. Small compromises can lead to big improvements in motivation and performance and ultimately reduce call avoidance tricks.

Set Realistic Expectations

Unrealistic call targets and excessive pressure can lead to burnout, disengagement, and call avoidance. Agents perform better when KPIs are fair, achievable, and clearly communicated.

Inconsistent leadership and unrealistic targets create unnecessary stress, making it vital for managers to provide clarity and support.

Ensure Fair Call Distribution

Uneven call distribution can lead to frustration, with some agents constantly handling more difficult or late calls while others avoid them. If one or two agents are regularly left to take the last calls of the day, it creates resentment and disengagement.

Managers should monitor avoidance patterns and ensure fair call-routing to maintain an equal workload and prevent unfair burdens.

Provide Proper Training and Support

Lack of training or system knowledge can make it difficult for agents to handle certain calls efficiently. Ensuring that agents have access to proper training and clear escalation paths prevents unnecessary call transfers or call avoidance tactics.

Encourage Open Communication

Managers should maintain open lines of communication, ensuring staff can voice concerns without fear of punishment.

Scheduling regular check-ins or team meetings allows agents to discuss challenges and provide feedback on policies that impact their work. When leadership is approachable and transparent, employees are more engaged, reducing stress and the likelihood of avoidance behaviours.

If you want to boost employee engagement and create a more motivated contact centre team, read these articles next:

• Top 20 Motivational Games for the Contact Centre
• How to Improve Call Centre Performance
• 11 Creative Tips to Boost Morale in the Contact Centre

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Hannah Swankie