HOLD is not just a book about customer service-it's a manifesto for everyone who's ever been put on hold, stuck in a chatbot loop, or told "we value your call" by a machine that clearly doesn't.
With sharp wit and hard-won insight, Amas Tenumah reveals a brutal truth: customer service hasn't failed. It's succeeding at its real goal-minimizing costs, reducing human interaction, and getting you to go away quietly. Drawing from years in the corporate trenches, Tenumah exposes how businesses design friction on purpose, manipulate loyalty metrics, and use AI to automate empathy at scale.
You'll discover:
- Why wait times and transfers are built into the system
- How "omnichannel" became an illusion of choice
- Why your frustration is a feature-not a bug
- What you can do to fight back
Part memoir, part expose, and part call to arms, HOLD is a rare mix of operational wisdom and cultural rebellion. Tenumah doesn't just point fingers-he explains how we got here, who profits from your pain, and what it'll take to change the game.
Whether you're a fed-up customer, a call center employee, or a leader trying to do better, this book will change how you see the economy of service forever.
If you've ever screamed "Let me talk to a human!"-this book is for you.
