Phone-Tree Frustrations
By lauriefnp
@lauriefnp (5109)
United States
December 29, 2006 8:31am CST
How aggravating do you find it when you call a company's "800" customer service number to inquire about a product or service concern and you get lost in the phone tree- eventually to get cut-off because you press a wrong number? Many companies are using these systems in order to cut back on call center costs. The problem is that it takes the "service" out of customer service, leaving us frustrated and angry.
How do you feel when you get trapped in one of these phone trees, with absolutely no hope of speaking with a live human being?
Try this the next time: Before you call the customer service number, visit Gethuman. It features a database of companies. For each one, you'll find the secret for getting to a live person. I've used it a few times, and it's great!! http://www.gethuman.com/
7 people like this
19 responses
@cuddlebug79705 (2003)
• United States
29 Dec 06
Thank you for sharing this tip with us. I also hate getting lost in the automated call systems, they are so annoying. I can't stand them. This will make everything so much easier for me.
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
To the previous 2 posters:
You're welcome! Hopefully the next time you won't get stuck in the aggravation of the phone tree maze!
1 person likes this
@uvbnskoold (499)
• Canada
29 Dec 06
I hate this too, and this is coming from someone who IS one of those agents on the other end of the phone. I hear it all too frequently, "it took me so long to get an actual human on the phone," or "I hate that blessed machine!!" or any derivation thereof.
It is "meant" to direct you to the appropriate department for the service you are calling about faster and more accurate. Unfortunately (for the company I work for in Canada - a big one), in Canada we have a very diverse, multicultural country and a lot of our customers' first language is not English and our voice recognition program has trouble. It's supposed to be "smart" and know what they're asking for anyway, but it never does.
IE. I still get people saying they were on with the machine for "an hour" which is of course hogwash, but the point it still taken. It's frustrating.
Even when I have to call in for service I'm frustrated... but I know the backway in, as you say. The unfortunate part about http://www.gethuman.com is that it's only for American companies. It'd be great if they could start a Canadian/North American one and abroad.
The good part is that I don't have to call in much, usually only for tech support. For the most part I know what to do, since I work for the company I get all my services from. But I have had to call tech support for many other things and yes, found the same horror as you.
I must say though, Applecare support is pretty good. At least here in Canada, anyway ;)
2 people like this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
Thanks for the great response! Good point about the need to add international companies on to that site. It must be hard to keep it updated, because the call centers are frequently changing the options. You must be a "saint" for working where you do and subjecting yourself to "us" every day. Actually, I do try to remember that it's not the fault of who I am finally speaking with, but it's hard to stay calm in the height of frustration!
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
31 Dec 06
I think that I'll ask for you the next time I call Apple! LOL
@uvbnskoold (499)
• Canada
31 Dec 06
Yeah I hear it ALL the time, believe me. But there are too many agents who pass through HR's screening and get a job they really aren't qualified for or that they just don't do.
Thank God I know what I'm doing, and it's always nice when my customers thank me for helping them, etc.
They have a long way to go before they perfect the system, but honestly I think it needs to be overhauled... and automated voice systems need to be scrapped until there is a foolproof method for the system to identify all types of accents, etc.
1 person likes this
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@vipul20044 (5793)
• India
29 Dec 06
Oh yes you are right the customer care is usually annoying and they wont usually listen to you in one call
Yes to deal with it i have to switch the abusive mode cuz thats the language the understand the best
2 people like this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
We're a lot alike! It doesn't take much to flip my switch to the "abusive mode", unfortunately. Maybe they do understand that better in the foreign call centers!
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
But how do you get to speak to a real human to place the complaint? Sometimes there is no way to get through?
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
29 Dec 06
I've heard of this site and some others that do something similar, and they seem like a great idea. I usually use a company's Web site to get to the info I want quicker, but sometimes no Internet connection is avaailable and I must resort to the old phone tree and get lost a few times before finding the right option (if I find it at all).
Thanks for posting the link.
2 people like this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
I find that if I use the website to complain that no one gets back to me promptly. Also, the phone contact info. on the website is usually the same number that is aggravating in the first place! I wonder if the call centers will catch on to this, or if articles like this is why they change their options so frequently?
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
29 Dec 06
I do not know about 800 numbers since we donĀ“t have that over here but to dial a number and get caught in a fpor.... press 1, for .... press 2 thingis so annoying and yet i work for a company who uses this system wich means i have to deal with complaints all day =)
2 people like this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
And I imagine that you hear a lot of complaints all day! As a previous caller pointed out, that system is used to efficiently direct calls to the right departments for attention. It sure isn't efficient for the people calling in, though! I'm sorry that you have to listen to the complaints; but I'm sure that you can understand the frustration of the customers!
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
14 Feb 07
It is very upsetting. Especially if you called on a cell, and held on for over half an hour, and in disconnects. Thanks for the extra hint what to do. I'll give it a try. Blessings, M&M
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
14 Feb 07
You're right, unless you have unlimited minutes on your cell, it's really irritating to eat up your minutes trying to get through. A lot of people only have cell phones now, so I imagine this is a big problem for many.
@lifeis2good (1183)
• United States
29 Dec 06
Boy are you ever great with providing us some really helpful information here!!!!! You are just awesome!!! And I so have to agree with you that it is the most frustrating thing in the world - trying to reach someone who can actually help you out with the problem!!! You would think the companies would somehow make it much easier for us to reach a live person without having to go through the tree method because I can bet you not that by the end if you finally get an actual person you are going to be so aggrivated - yet most customer service reps just don't understand why we feel that way!!!!
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
You're so right- when we finally get that poor person in some call center in a foreign country and take it all out on them, they think that we're just being unreasonable!! I would be a lot more pleasant to deal with if someone would just pick up the phone!
@medooley (1873)
• United States
30 Dec 06
Thank you so much for this link... I hate those automated systems... press 1 to do this... press 2 to do that... press 3 to do something differnet... press 7 to pull out all your hair...
Not only that, but I think they make them as crypitic as possible to get to a real human. What do they care really? All of it seems to be being outsourced anyway...
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
To the previous group of responses: We seem to all be on the same page about the frustration. If it were possible, I would just give up and not deal with the company again, but sometimes you can't. Another thing is this: some phone systems are very efficient and fairly easy to navigate- why can't all of these systems follow a single, easy to navigate model, and always offer an option to speak with a real person?
@BittyBiddy (2903)
• Ireland
30 Dec 06
I know exactly what you mean. It's so aggravating. I was on hold for 20 minutes one day before being disconnected by one of those robotic voice answering services. If possible I now try to deal only with companies where I can get through to a real life person on the phone.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
31 Dec 06
Nothing will make you more irate than to get cut off after "patiently" waiting for 20 minutes! It just makes you even more "pleasant" for the live person that you finally get to speak with to deal with! It seems as if they could improve this system, with all of the technological advances these days. Kind of makes you think that they don't want to speak to customers, doesn't it?
@shuckieduckie (121)
• United States
30 Dec 06
I have heard a trick to bypass the tree is to select Spanish, everyone who speaks Spanish speaks English as well. Also you can usually select 0 for operator and talk to someone.
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
Thanks for the tips! I'm going to try these the next time. I'll bet the one about selecting Spanish would actually work! You know how we cater to the immigrants in this country! Once you're on the line with a real person, are they going to have the nerve not to deal with you?
@enchantedemerald (454)
• United States
29 Dec 06
I know what you mean about phone trees being frustrating. One time by the time I actually reached a live person I forget what I needed help with. I know that the phone trees are suppose to get you to the correct department but there have been times I actually had to leave my name and phone number and wait for someone to call me back. Thank you sharing this new link with the community.
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
Do they actually get back to you when you leave your name and number? That seems like a "trick" to get rid of a customer, if you ask me. If they don't have the time or staff to answer the phone, I wonder how they expect to actually return calls?
@mef623 (81)
• United States
29 Dec 06
I've been on both sides of the phone, as a CSR and consumer. The best thing to do is to complain, and if that doesn't get you a direct number, take your business elsewhere. But be sure to write a letter to the original company letting them know where you are going and why.
Mike
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
Thanks for the response and the great suggestions. I can see that complaining to the right people might get you a direct number, which would make things easier if you had to call again in the future, also.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
30 Dec 06
I get very frustrated with those dang 'automated' systems. Customer service experts have told companies all over that this annoys most people but they just don't seem to care!
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
30 Dec 06
I have reported this "response" to MyLot as spam and given a negative rating. Please do not respond to discussons with 3 letters that do not even form a word in English. It has nothing to do with the discussion.
@bimmer999 (1158)
• Philippines
30 Dec 06
yes very annoying..
sometimes i just hang up out of frustration and call again
and give a piece of my mind to the operator
lol
1 person likes this
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