Dead air is a term used in broadcasting and contact centers to describe a period of silence during which no audio or video program material is transmitted. Dead air can occur in radio broadcasting when program material comes to an unexpected halt, either through operator error or technical malfunction. In television broadcasting, directors may use the command "fade to black" or "to black" to indicate a momentary transition to a completely black image, but the term "dead air" is most often used in cases where program material comes to an unexpected halt. Dead air is considered one of the worst things that can occur among professional broadcasters, and it may impact advertising revenue if it affects the airplay of paid commercials.
In contact centers, dead air refers to the period of silence during a customer interaction when neither the customer nor the agent is interacting. Dead air can be harmful because it increases the anxiety that customers already face in service environments, tells customers that the company is not prepared to resolve their issues, erodes confidence and trust, and impacts contact center efficiency because more dead air translates into higher handling times. Dead air may occur due to various reasons such as lack of agent knowledge, outdated information on the internal database, or slow search software.
