Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Voice recognition software

Voice recognition software is a great idea... if you happen to be in the cone of silence!  Unfortunately for me I am perpetually in the funnel of noise to the third power.  Here is an example of a normal call to a company with the ever so helpful voice recognition software:
  • Company: "Please say your account number"
  • Me: "two, zero, five,.."
  • Company: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your entry, please say your account number"
  • Me: louder this time "TWO, ZERO, FIVE, ..."
  • Company: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your entry, please say your account number"
  • Me: louder this time "TWO, ZERO, FIVE, ..."
  • Company: "I'm sorry I'm having a hard time understanding you, please wait while I connect you to a customer service agent"
  • click... click.... click....
  • Company: "To better expedite your call please say the number that best represents what you are calling about.  One for billing questions, two for service questions, three for new service..."
  • Me: "Two"
  • Company: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your entry, please say the number that best represents...."
At this point I start yelling alternating between "OPERATOR" and "REPRESENTATIVE".  I usually get to someone.  How about a first menu that lets you choose between voice recognition and key inputs.  Something like "if you are in a vacuum of silence and you speak the Queen's English please say one to use our Voice unrecognition service."

Why is it that the more technology we invent to make life easier and give us more free time the more frustrated we are and the less free time we have?

The other weekend we did Breakfast with Santa at Church.  Good thing the CFO is detail oriented.  The kids got out clean and with some great keepsakes.  


Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.
Fran Lebowitz 

Why can we remember the tiniest detail that has happened to us, and not remember how many times we have told it to the same person.
François de la Rochefoucauld

Al

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree with you on Voice Recognition Software. Even in a cone of silence it is sometimes very annoying.

Unknown said...

I HATE that voice recognition crap! The only problem is that when you do get a person in customer service, it's usually someone who doesn't speak English, and now you can't understand them.