Janet Collins
Billy MComputers and Voice Activated “Help Lines”
July 24th 2008 12:56
If there is anything more frustrating than your internet having a tantrum and deciding to test your patience and play the “go slow” card, it’s being greeted by an over-exuberant computerised male voice on the help line of your internet provider when you try to rectify the situation.
That’s what happened to me today. Do these providers think that a bouncing happy voice on the other end of the phone will calm you down or are they testing to see how much it takes to make your blood boil?
No longer do they have a serious voice telling you to push one for cable, two for wireless or three for dialup. They now have you speak to a machine trying to let you know how clever they are at interpreting your answer. And the questions don’t stop there. I was asked about the brand of the modem and lots more. I hung up when I could take it no longer.
I don’t know about you, but I always feel a little silly talking to a machine. It makes me feel sillier when an answer comes back in a sing-song voice saying “I didn’t understand you!” or “we don’t seem to be communicating!”
Just think if the roadside assistance companies did the same. Imagine – breaking down in your car, late at night and ringing your road service company and having to go through all the multitude of questions before (and if) they would dare put you through to a human operator. Imagine if they kept on saying “I can’t understand where you are”. How would you be?
When I want help from a so-called “help number”, I don’t want to hear a bouncing bubbly voice shooting questions at me and making me feel not only angry but that I must be a mumbling idiot.
Calling themselves a “help line” is a bit of a joke, don’t you think?
That’s what happened to me today. Do these providers think that a bouncing happy voice on the other end of the phone will calm you down or are they testing to see how much it takes to make your blood boil?
No longer do they have a serious voice telling you to push one for cable, two for wireless or three for dialup. They now have you speak to a machine trying to let you know how clever they are at interpreting your answer. And the questions don’t stop there. I was asked about the brand of the modem and lots more. I hung up when I could take it no longer.
I don’t know about you, but I always feel a little silly talking to a machine. It makes me feel sillier when an answer comes back in a sing-song voice saying “I didn’t understand you!” or “we don’t seem to be communicating!”
Just think if the roadside assistance companies did the same. Imagine – breaking down in your car, late at night and ringing your road service company and having to go through all the multitude of questions before (and if) they would dare put you through to a human operator. Imagine if they kept on saying “I can’t understand where you are”. How would you be?
When I want help from a so-called “help number”, I don’t want to hear a bouncing bubbly voice shooting questions at me and making me feel not only angry but that I must be a mumbling idiot.
Calling themselves a “help line” is a bit of a joke, don’t you think?
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Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
Stupid Australian Government not giving us any infrastructure!!
Comment by Wilson Pon
Techno Stuffs
mindyourhealth
Those so called "Internet Provider Company" was just a silly moneysucker, where they just care about the monthly internet fee than trying their best to solve the customer problems...
Comment by Janet Collins
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
I am now going a bit faster but not asfast as I would like. It makes life really hard when the internet is on a go-slow, especially when you want to read all you can on Orble.
The chirpy voice churning out heaps of questions doesn't help. I have taken the obligatory "10 deep breaths" and have become sane again though.
Janet