where has all the real people gone grrrrr?

Question

Don't you just hate it. You ring a company and you are told to press this option or press that option.Some times you've got to press an option to get an option

Answer 1

I usually just press "0," which should take you directly to the Operator, who, hopefully, is a human. They usually have this option on most systems, for those people who can't figure out what to press or won't wait through an entire list of options (like me). Try it. (Don't wait through the whole list; just do it at the start)

Answer 2

Yup. You ring a company, and either you get some foreign guy with a really thick accent on the end of the phone who you can't understand, or a machine where you have to press said numbers over and over again.

Basically it all boils down to money. The company is out to make a profit. Therefore it makes sense for them to cut costs as much as possible. Keeping a real person sitting around all day, just in case a customer rings up, means you have to pay them all day - money which soon adds up. Especially annoying from the company's point of view is that the person in question isn't really benefiting the company, as a machine could do the job just as easily.

For this reason, companies often use foreign people, as the minimum wage is so much lower in the Third World, that they are making less of a loss. Also important in this point is that this is probably the foreign guy's only source of income, and otherwise he and his family could starve.

A machine is even better from the company's point of view, as they don't have to pay anybody anything - just record the voice once and you're done. The main problem with these machines as far as the customer is concerned is that they only have a set number of options to give you, and can't respond to what you want. I know it's annoying, but no one's invented artificial intelligence yet! Also, the longer the company can keep you pressing buttons on the phone, the more money they're making (this is one of the main reasons that if you ring them up, you're stuck in a queue for ages).

Yes, I agree that overall machine voices are extremely annoying, but you can see why companies do it, and really, we don't have a lot of choice in the matter, so grin and bear it. Smile! :-)

Answer 3

LOL Yes, I hate that, and a lot of times even after listening to all the options I still can't figure out which one I need to push in order to get my question answered! I agree with the first person though that maybe I should just start pressing zero as soon as I get on

Answer 4

Yes and most of the time they don't care about your problem and certainly don't want to take ownership and actually sort it for you.
Then you get cut off and have to go through the same process as before but this time you get a new person who does not know the first one and so on.
To top that off no one can ever ring you back because the phone system won't let you but then if they have a problem by some miracle they can suddenly ring out.

Answer 5

Pretend you don't have a touch tone phone and just hold the line - this usually works for me.

It doesn't help though when the person you need is:

A) At lunch
B) On vacation
C) On sick leave
D) On a training course
E) Out of the office right now
F) Doesn't work today
G) Only works (Mornings) or (Afternoons) - always the opposite of when you ring
H) In a meeting
I) On another call
J) With a client
K) Busy

............and nobody else can (or will) deal with you!

Answer 6

I think this is technology gone nuts. There is nothing like the personal touch when you get a human voice on the end of the phone. When will companies realise this. When they use premium rate numbers it's even worse. Come on all you companies give us a break, we HATE options. ! !

Answer 7

Oh my ! Yes! What makes it worse is that we have all got used to instant gratification- mobile phones, texting , messaging .They all connect us to people who reply ...instantly.
Then I get this inane voice telling me (where I live at least) not only a string of numbers to press for any sort of information I don't need, but telling me in several languages until they come to one I might understand!
Please give me human contact you companies. No one likes these systems so if you care at all about customer service and approval, junk the things!

Answer 8

sometimes if you don't press anything it will take you through to an operator. some people don't have touch tone phones.
i do this and most of the time get a real live person to talk to
(but it doesn't always help as sometimes they know nothing!!)

Answer 9

I Cpould not agree more. If I need help frop BRITISH telecom I always end up alking to someone in India and to get that I have to press about six options. Sad is it not?

Answer 10

Just as annoying is when you have spent the better part of 20 minutes going through the whole "Automated phone service", finaly talking to a real person who can barely talk english, and then they hang up on you...........*?&%??? ar*@hole.

So I now get the name of the person I speak to inculding their extention number, so if disconneted/hung up on I can track them down.