12 codes of X'mas: Don’t spend the holiday on hold!

USA: To ensure the seasons festivities run as smoothly as possible, PleasePress1's Nigel Clarke, is publishing a list of access codes that will help consumers sidestep waiting times and whisk them through to popular customer helplines.

PleasePress1 was arguably the biggest consumer launch of 2013. It is an award- winning site that offers free access to helpline shortcuts to save consumers time, money and frustration when using automated customer phone systems. By using the simple telephone key codes typically consumers will be able to shave several precious minutes off their call times to contact centres.

Nigel has compiled his twelve codes of Christmas; selected for being the helplines Nigel forecasts will be among the busiest this Yuletide, from the big supermarkets and retailers to the home entertainment giants.

Commenting on his Christmas list, Nigel Clarke, founder of PleasePress1, said: "This is a busy and stressful time of the year so a parcel that hasn't arrived on time or set-top box on the blink is enough to drive you crackers at Christmas; we can't have that when it is the season to be jolly so I have therefore pulled together this list to avoid anyone having to spend Christmas on hold.

"A number of retailers have very small phone menus or the perfect phone system, when your call is answered immediately by a human being, these companies I have called my ‘Christmas Crackers'. But then there are the 'turkeys', those that are stuffed with far too many options and menus, they really make a meal of it getting through - the ‘parsons nose' of bad customer service and menu design and not helpful when you need an immediate answer."