tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991994019246524321.post4698493275501610762..comments2023-04-15T03:21:51.411-07:00Comments on Interactive Voice Response: "Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed..."Carl Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03073992234303688622noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991994019246524321.post-29282546508254133462011-09-29T08:38:03.306-07:002011-09-29T08:38:03.306-07:00You know, I think it's even more insidious tha...You know, I think it's even more insidious than the last poster stated, although perhaps this is exactly what he was alluding to when he pointed out that some companies put the "our menu options have [recently] changed" right up there from the beginning.<br /><br />This idea, and the fact that newer systems, in spite of being, well, "newer", often don't support the type-ahead functionality of their predecessors, nor the old press-0-to-get-a-human trck (try that one with Capital One customer service), I think is part of an overall strategy by many companies to force callers away from utilizing carbon-based resources (e.g., humans).<br /><br />Forcing you through the mechanized process ensures absolute compliance with established policy, removing the subjective element of human interpretation. i.e., the IVR can refuse to waive that fee all day, and really will never care how ridiculous or unfair it is, no matter how loud you yell nor how many times you press "0". An empathetic human being, on the other hand, is more likely to bend under pressure.<br /><br />As an IT professional and technology enthusiast, I like the concepts of automated banking services and the like afforded by IVR technology, but I cease to appreciate them when the technology moves away from being a convenience for ME and moves instead toward becoming a convenient way for businesses to dismiss me as a customer, or de-humanize the process.<br /><br />Star Trek fans might appreciate the reference to "The Ultimate Computer" when I point out that I, as Mr Spock said, find computers to be excellent servants, but I have no desire to serve UNDER them. I am becoming gravely concerned that we are not good stewards of the technologies we develop and implement. If those of us who are really capable of understanding these technologies, and the potential ramifications their implementations may represent, don't make the stand to establish some reasonable boundaries with respect to their implementation, we're liable to find ourselves one day confined to a world where we are literally ruled by the ruthless objectivity and relentless logic of machines.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991994019246524321.post-60012698042583187022010-02-22T11:53:14.942-08:002010-02-22T11:53:14.942-08:00Thanks for the info. To me, the most annoying thin...Thanks for the info. To me, the most annoying thing about the "options have changed" phrase is that even when a company actually change their options, if they leave the message up indefinitely it ends up becoming a lie.<br /><br />On a side note, I'm convinced that many companies now include this phrase from day one, in the vain hope that users will indeed "listen carefully." That's even less honest than leaving the message in place long after changes are made.<br /><br />Grammar Nit-Picking:<br />"Unfortunately, it's easier (process wise) to put phrases into IVRs then take them out."<br />The word "then" in this sentence should be "than".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com