Get Human!

I took part in an interesting conversation this afternoon with my co-workers. My boss had decided to give a particular insurance agent, who had been pestering him for months, the opportunity to quote our business insurance this year. While attempting to reach her by phone he ended up in automated phone system purgatory. After numerous attempts, he finally reached a live operator who was able to transfer him directly to the agent’s extension.

This story led to a lively discussion about automated phone systems; everyone had had a similar experience including myself. Before our recent vacation, my husband had attempted to confirm our flight information with Delta Airlines. I could hear him on the phone talking to the automated system, he was becoming increasingly frustrated and his voice was getting increasingly louder. It went something like this: 1, English, 1, 2, no, No, NO then the phone would be slammed down and the entire process would be repeated. Eventually he gave up, and I confirmed our information via the internet.

How excited I was to relay a website I had just read about in Jim Stingl’s column, located in today's Milwaukee Journal. According to Mr. Stingl, the website http://gethuman.com/us/,was started by a Boston guy named Paul English, the site lists hundreds of places we dread calling and gives secret tips on how to bypass the recorded voice to reach a breathing human being. What a great find.

Back to the insurance agent, it turns out the problem was compounded because she had given my boss her married name and the automated phone system has her listed by her maiden name. And they say Americans are losing our business savvy.