---
title: Call Hold & Retrieve
slug: contact-center/call-hold-and-retrieve
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-09-28T14:21:40.959Z
---

# Overview

Call Hold and Retrieve is a fundamental telephony feature that allows an agent to temporarily pause a live conversation without disconnecting the call. This gives the agent time to perform parallel tasks—such as finding information or consulting a colleague—before returning to the customer.

# How It Works

When an agent is on an active call and needs a moment to step away from the conversation:

1. The agent clicks the **Hold** button (present on the telephony panel) on their Agent Console
2. The customer is placed on hold and typically hears hold music or a waiting message.
3. The agent's console updates to indicate the call is currently on hold.
4. To resume the conversation, the agent clicks the **Retrieve** (or Un-hold) button. *(Note: Time spent on hold is tracked as an agent activity for reporting and analytics.)*

# Common Use Cases

- **Information Lookup:** An agent places a customer on hold to search for account details in the CRM, check inventory, or consult a knowledge base.
- **Internal Consultation:** An agent pauses the call to ask a supervisor or a peer for assistance with a complex or escalated query, ensuring the customer does not hear the internal discussion.

# Key Benefits

- **Professional Call Handling:** Prevents "dead air" (awkward silence) on the line while the agent seeks information, maintaining a professional customer experience.
- **Increased First-Call Resolution (FCR):** Gives agents the necessary time to find accurate information or collaborate with experts, resolving the issue on the first try.
- **Improved Agent Efficiency:** Enables agents to multitask effectively during a live interaction, such as creating or updating a support ticket in the background.

# Using the Feature

**Prerequisites:** The agent must be logged into the Agent Console and actively connected to a live call.

**Instructions (Agent Console):**

1. Navigate to the **Call Control Panel** within the Agent Console during an active call.
2. Click the **Hold** button to suspend the call.
3. Click the **Retrieve** button to bring the customer off hold and resume speaking.

:::hint{type="info"}
*(Note: This is a standard, out-of-the-box feature and requires no prior backend configuration by an Administrator.)*
:::

# Limitations

- While a call is on hold, the audio channel is suspended; the agent cannot speak with or hear the customer until the call is successfully retrieved.