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Point & Counterpoint |
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Oct '03: "Hey creep
-- leave a message at the beep!" |
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Does it annoy you to telephone a service outfit and get answered by a machine instead of a live person? You know the drill -- "For such & such, press 1. For so & so press 2." Here are some examples of the kinds of folks that a company eliminates by using automated answering systems...
Are those kinds of people paid a lot of money? No, they are not. Why would a company eliminate those lower-paid workers?
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Do you get a free ride when companies eliminate workers of the types listed above? Not at all! You STILL must pay jobless folks a *salary!* How? By such means as unemployment insurance, welfare, charity, & the high price of fighting crime. It's YOU who pays for all of these costs. Think about this: when you call a company for service, what is your main impression of that company? Answer: it's whoever [or whatever] answers the phone.
With rare exceptions, companies who replace people by using answering machines are short-sighted, or greedy, or arrogant -- or all of the above. And that kind of company doesn't care one whit about YOUR time, or YOUR convenience. Bottom line: Instead, deal with companies who give entry-level jobs to real live human beings, and thereby prove that they care about your needs, and your time. Companies who speak to you *in person* are truly seeking to EARN your business, rather than arrogantly taking you for granted. |
| Just this evening I discovered your website and have spent a couple
of enjoyable hours reading through the material that you have posted. I have found the content inspiring and comforting
in many ways. I do, however, disagree with the article that was written on 10/25/03 about automated answering systems
used by many companies today. I work in a call center for a large company. During the almost 7 years that I have been there, I have had the opportunity to answer calls from our customers. My duties now include support for the nearly 250 associates that take customer phone calls on a daily basis. I also play a role in helping to support our automated answering system. Let me say that I do understand the frustration that you feel when a machine answers the phone rather than a live person. Many of the customers I have had the privilege to talk to have voiced similar opinions. However, I have talked to just as many people that actually prefer to handle business transactions through an automated system. I myself prefer the convenience of checking my bank account balance over the phone through an automated system. The reason companies use automated systems for phone calls is not so much cost savings, but customer demand. The current market place makes it necessary for companies to adopt technologies that customers want to use to do business. In the 60s and 70s customer service was a face to face transaction or done through the mail. Over the last 25 years the quality of service became directly tied to speed of service. Since a phone call was faster than the mail, companies set up call centers to meet their customers' needs. In the relatively short time that I have been working in a call center, the demand for simpler transactions without having to actually talk to a person has become greater. We also see customers wanting service available 24 hour a day 7 days a week. Technology such as email and automated phone systems allow us to meet these customers' needs. Do we still have customers that only want to talk to a live person? Yes, and we do provide that. We also have customers that still want to be serviced face to face and we try to provide that as well. Please keep in mind that when a company implements new technology to service customers, they are most likely NOT eliminating jobs. I know of no example where an automated phone system has caused someone to lose their job. I also think you may be off target by insinuating that phone representatives are low paid, low skilled workers who would contribute to higher welfare payouts and higher crime rates. I do respect your opinions on this matter and I feel that you bring out an excellent point about automated systems. Many companies, mine included, do need to make their systems as user friendly as possible and allow customers to talk to a live person easily and quickly. My suggestion is to let the company know your opinion. I have personally been involved in many projects to improve service based on the feedback of customers. I would urge you to give the same opportunity to the companies you have had to deal with. Thank you very much for the opportunity to share my opinion with you. Again, I really enjoy your website. God bless you, Stephen Romans 8:37-39 |
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Bellgamin claims the last word Folks, Stephen has just taught me a wonderful lesson. Perhaps you learned something from him, as well. It isn't only what Stephen said, but the beautiful spirit that shines through in the WAY that he expressed himself. Thus, I was given a vivid example of..
Have I changed my mind about automated phone systems? Well... if someone even remotely resembling Stephen is running them -- YES! As to the verses Stephen cited beneath his signature, here they are... |
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Yet in all these things For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, |
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