Lars and I decided to switch our phone service. In so doing, I had to call Qwest and cancel our account. I dialed the 1-800 number and got the automated recording that asks questions and responds to answers to the best of it's "abilities". First of all, I feel like a fool talking to a machine. Second of all, it has no ability to differentiate between my voice giving pertinent information and my children shouting in the background. Our "conversation" went something like this...
Qwest recording guy- "Thanks for calling...bla bla bla...are you calling about the phone number 503.838.0000*?
Me-"Yes"
Naomi- "Yaya won't share the blocks."
Recording- "I'm sorry, I didn't get that. Are you calling about the phone number 503......"
Me- (a little louder this time) "YES"
Naomi- (also a little louder) "MO-OM!"
Yaya- "Don't tell on me!"
Recording- "I'm sorry, I didn't get that. Are you calling about the phone number 503......"
Me-"Girls! Please be quiet I'm trying to make an important phone call!"
Naomi-"But she's not sharing!"
Yaya-"I said sorry!"
Naomi-"Sorry doesn't fix it"
Recording- "I'm sorry, I didn't get that. Please remain on the line and a customer service representative will assist you shortly."
Oh! So that's the secret. All I have to do is either speak incoherently or let my kids yell into the phone and I can bypass all the talking to the machine and get straight to another human being! But I guess i'm in the minority. Observe:
People like talking to a machine: survey shows
by Stuart Corner
Monday, 27 August 2007
Page 1 of 2
!One third of respondents to a survey carried out for speech recognition specialist Nuance say they would rather talk to a speech recognition system than a live operator, and when the alternative is being placed on hold, the figure rises to 85 percent.
What's your preference?
*Number changed to ensure security :)
6 comments:
I have that problem at work when I am trying to preauthorize surgeries and deliveries and people try to talk to me while I am talking to the machine...only in MY world, if it "doesn't understand", it just keeps giving me the same automated menu repeatedly. ANNOYING!
I HAAAAAATE automated menus. Most of the time if I'm calling, its because I can't find the answer on the stupid website, and I am calling to talk to a human.
2nd worse? Talking to someone who barely speaks english.
poorly designed system. Inexcusable for a telco. The very least it should have done is switch to DTMF/TouchTone keypresses so you could press 1 or 2 to indicate your choice. Sadly bad design like this gives the technology an unecessarily bad name, as it can be made to work very well. You say you are not so comfortable talking to a machine, though many callers find the privacy, intelligibility and consistency aspects very beneficial.
i only perfer the machine when i get someone live from india or the south united states that i can't understand at all.
LMBO!!! Been there - done that!! :) ~J
I'm still laughing over Naomi's "sorry doesn't fix it" comment - hilarious!!
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