Can I Speak to a Human Being?

The other day I was very surprised when I called a multinational company and a receptionist answered the phone. "This is XYZ company, how may I direct your call," he said with a very professional and embracing tone to his voice. I had expected the call to be answered by one of those voice recognition answering devices and was preparing to navigate a maze of questions and options. Thus I stammered out something like, "Hello, hello ... is this a real person?" The gentleman politely confirmed that he was indeed a real live human being. "I completely understand where you're coming from," he said, and went on to explain that his company had implemented live receptionists after too many customers complained that they were tired of speaking to a machine and going around in circles, pressing an endless number of options. 

With that, he listened to my inquiry and then transferred me to the next department, while staying on the line with me until another person got on the phone. He explained to her why I was calling and within a reasonable amount of time, she politely and effectively took care of my problem. From start to finish, I was very pleased with how this behemoth company efficiently managed my call. 

It is refreshing when a live person answers the phone of a business. In this day and age of extreme technology and automation, before we can even get to speak to someone, we often have to spend several minutes answering questions and giving information to an automated receptionist. Even when assured that they can understand spoken language, we frequently find that our carefully enunciated responses get completely botched up, and we are forced to repeat the whole thing again. How many times have I found myself yelling impatiently into the phone, "Speak to a representative!" Talk about frustrating ... 

So, for what it's worth:

• If at all possible and where it makes sense, have a designated person answer the phone in a professional, polite and welcoming tone; this person should be carefully trained to handle or direct inquiries appropriately. This not only makes a wonderful impression for the business but it keeps people CALM!
• If the phone is to be answered by an automated receptionist, there should be no more than two or three options, with clear and simple choices such as: if you know your party’s extension, if you’re calling to make a payment, or if you need to discuss a claim.

Making someone spend a lot of time fumbling through a maze of options could easily thwart an inquiry for your services or delay an account from being paid. Just my thoughts...

Thomas W. Hamilton 

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This article has been edited by Steven Gan of Stellar Risk Management Services, Inc.

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