Today I was approached by the TL who is conducting the investigation, who wanted to brief me about his role in the incident and request that I think about my response, and meet with him in a private room.

He had with him another neutral party to witness our meeting. He explained what he had done so far and asked would I like to say anything about it. I gave him my version of the incident, that the customer had offended me and I responded by swearing as I did, and that I thought the phone was on mute. I said that although I thought it was on mute, that it was no excuse and it was totally inappropriate to respond in the way I did. I added that this has been the biggest lesson in professionalism, and no matter what the outcome is, whether I keep my job or it's an outright dismissal, it has certainly changed everything about the way I'll be conducting myself now and in the future.

He now has done his bit. I know the guy, he's a decent bloke, knows I've been there quite a while without any trouble, and I'm confident he'll give HR a recommendation that doesn't warrant dismissal.

Now I wait for HR to make their decision.