Repetitive music, synthetic voices and an endless options menu are just some of the reasons we lose the rag on the phone to call centres.

It's a familiar feeling to anyone who has been passed from pillar to post, put on hold for an eternity then inadvertently cut-off.

Stress levels rise and the poor person at the other end of the line can often suffer a volley of abuse.

This time of year is often the worst for incidents of phone rage, particularly in retail and finance as consumers face up to post-Christmas debts.

Now a digital phone rage guide aimed at halting verbal abuse at work has been launched by the Scottish government for their Violence At Work campaign.

More than 4000 copies have already been sent to contact and call-centres to help protect and support staff.

Around 26 million calls a day are made to the 60,000 staff - that's 2.6 per cent of Scottish workers - in our call-centre industry, which has doubled in the last 10 years.

Yet one study revealed nine out of 10 people's experience of call centres had left them angry and confused.

Top rage trigger is calls not being answered - ringing out, being put on hold or queuing then being cut-off - according to research by Capita UK.

But the new guide's clear message to customers and employees is that any form of abuse is unacceptable - and in some cases criminal.

Few callers aim to be abusive. In most cases, something happens during the call which causes the situation.

However, while the majority of Scots accept physical and verbal abuse is wrong, Scottish government figures show 37 per cent of workers who deal with the public suffer abuse.

The new guide defines workplace abuse as any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted - verbally or physically - relating to their work.

Its training section gives advice on how to manage phone rage effectively.

Based on a model created by the Student Loans Company, it explains the psychology behind rage to help workers diffuse customer aggression.

Alexis Farndell, who trains the 1400 staff at the Student Loans Company, said: "Most of our customers are decent but now and again we receive a call from someone who deals with their frustrations by lashing out at the advisor dealing with their account.

"We train staff to make the mental switch from victim to controller.

"They use their skills to analyse the caller's ego state and plan how they will respond to de-escalate the situation.

"In the end though, it is up to the advisor when and where to draw the line. It's not for me to tell someone what's acceptable."

* Source: Daily Record - www.dailyrecord.co.uk