Are phone trees getting longer?

[mickeyluv'r]

My time is money! Any company that wastes the customer's time should have to compensate us!

Why is that every time I call a major (or even minor) business I have to sit through a ten minute phone tree. I give all my personal info...TWICE!

Most long messages don't apply to why I am calling: lengthy policy descriptions, "use our website", itemization of your bill, etc.

I've had it. None of these businesses care about OUR time or the loss of our time!

it's time for us- the average consumer to expect better. Just like we now have a DO not call list, and the sound on tv commercials can no longer be BLASTED - consumers should have rights when they try to call a business.

We should be able to get a live rep inside of 15seconds, form 9-5 each day. "I'd like to speak to an agent" should always be OPTION 1 not option 15.

And if we get disconnected, the rep should give us a direct call back number! (or at least to the same department)!

OUR time is money! Recently, I have had several big corporations make mistakes with my account. not my mistake- theirs. In each case, it took over an hour of phone calls to resolve the issue. Neither company made any restitution for all of MY time.

Is anyone else tired of the phone tree game?

 

[wuzzles]

There are a couple of websites you can google that will list phone numbers to get right to an actual person. If that isn't an option, they will tell you what numbers to press to get through the phone tree the quickest.

gethuman.com is one of them

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thanks, that is a bit of help.

Even if you get through the options quickly, it still takes quite a bit of time.

I will say, most recently Disney improved quite a bit- but they used to be one of the worst. Though they have declined plenty on other fronts. (like cc hold for all TS, crazy price increases)

 

[Best Aunt]

Many times, you get through fastest if you can resist the urge to reply. Keep your mouth shut and don't press any buttons or say anything no matter how many times the recording tells you to. If you can hold out long enough, you will get put through to a representative.

It doesn't always work, though -- sometimes the recording hangs up on you.

 

[gracie1]

I always press 0. Then when the recording says they can't understand me I press 0 again and 99% of the time it will say they are transferring me to a representative.

 

[sherry7]

I dislike phone menus as much has anyone, but I do understand the reasoning behind them. At the company I work for, our experienced customer service reps make nearly $35 an hour. Time is money for both the customer and the company, and phone menus help you get to the proper department faster without extra transfers. As for me, I'm just happy when my call gets answered by someone in the US, versus India, the Phillipines, etc.

Most of those wordy disclosures are mandated by state and federal government regulations. Back in the day (when I worked customer service for my company), we had to "manually" read them all to the customer. I frequently had customers ask for my direct phone number since I provided good service, but it wasn't possible. (Our phone lines actually weren't set up to receive direct phone calls.) As soon as we were off the line with one customer, another call would come in within a few seconds. I sympathize with your complaints, but in a modern day call center that is set up for ultimate efficiency, most of them would be counterproductive, expensive, and the cost would be passed on to the customers.

 

[tvguy]

I got caught in Voice Mail Jail, everything referred me to the website, and the website said my request could only be handled over the phone.
We have a voice mail tree at work, but only when the front desk is closed, otherwise you get a real person. My issue is, sooooooooo many of the calls we get are unnecessary and just odd.

1) I'm sorry we aren't carrying the Bowl Game you wanted to watch, but another network has exclusive rights to broadcast it.

2) No, I can't put the President on the phone. Yes he was just on live, but he isn't here at our station, he is at the white house and that speech came to us over a satellite.

3) I'm sorry you don't like the anchorman's tie.

4) I'm afraid I can't make you a copy of the time you were interviewed on our news back in 1964.

5) No, I do not know what the weather will be like 7 months from today when you are getting married.

6) No, I don't think we're going to have our Investigative Reporter, Investigate our competitors Investigative reporter.

Sadly, all real calls.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I got caught in Voice Mail Jail, everything referred me to the website, and the website said my request could only be handled over the phone.
We have a voice mail tree at work, but only when the front desk is closed, otherwise you get a real person. My issue is, sooooooooo many of the calls we get are unnecessary and just odd.

1) I'm sorry we aren't carrying the Bowl Game you wanted to watch, but another network has exclusive rights to broadcast it.

2) No, I can't put the President on the phone. Yes he was just on live, but he isn't here at our station, he is at the white house and that speech came to us over a satellite.

3) I'm sorry you don't like the anchorman's tie.

4) I'm afraid I can't make you a copy of the time you were interviewed on our news back in 1964.

5) No, I do not know what the weather will be like 7 months from today when you are getting married.

6) No, I don't think we're going to have our Investigative Reporter, Investigate our competitors Investigative reporter.

Sadly, all real calls.

Thanks for the laugh!

 

[NYCDiane]

I got caught in Voice Mail Jail, everything referred me to the website, and the website said my request could only be handled over the phone.
We have a voice mail tree at work, but only when the front desk is closed, otherwise you get a real person. My issue is, sooooooooo many of the calls we get are unnecessary and just odd.

1) I'm sorry we aren't carrying the Bowl Game you wanted to watch, but another network has exclusive rights to broadcast it.

2) No, I can't put the President on the phone. Yes he was just on live, but he isn't here at our station, he is at the white house and that speech came to us over a satellite.

3) I'm sorry you don't like the anchorman's tie.

4) I'm afraid I can't make you a copy of the time you were interviewed on our news back in 1964.

5) No, I do not know what the weather will be like 7 months from today when you are getting married.

6) No, I don't think we're going to have our Investigative Reporter, Investigate our competitors Investigative reporter.

Sadly, all real calls.

This is soooo true!!! I've worked in various call centers as well and in one, I started keeping a list of all the ridiculous questions we would get. I would make copies every few weeks and pass it around and everyone would get a good laugh out of it.

 

[3boymthr]

I got caught in Voice Mail Jail, everything referred me to the website, and the website said my request could only be handled over the phone.
We have a voice mail tree at work, but only when the front desk is closed, otherwise you get a real person. My issue is, sooooooooo many of the calls we get are unnecessary and just odd.

1) I'm sorry we aren't carrying the Bowl Game you wanted to watch, but another network has exclusive rights to broadcast it.

2) No, I can't put the President on the phone. Yes he was just on live, but he isn't here at our station, he is at the white house and that speech came to us over a satellite.

3) I'm sorry you don't like the anchorman's tie.

4) I'm afraid I can't make you a copy of the time you were interviewed on our news back in 1964.

5) No, I do not know what the weather will be like 7 months from today when you are getting married.

6) No, I don't think we're going to have our Investigative Reporter, Investigate our competitors Investigative reporter.

Sadly, all real calls.

I believe you too. My cousin used to work for a local TV station as the secretary for station's president and she said the worst day she ever had at work was the day that the space shuttle blew up. She had to deal with several hundred phone calls of people complaining that they needed to stop broadcasting the news about the shuttle and put their soap operas back on.

 

[tvguy]

I believe you too. My cousin used to work for a local TV station as the secretary for station's president and she said the worst day she ever had at work was the day that the space shuttle blew up. She had to deal with several hundred phone calls of people complaining that they needed to stop broadcasting the news about the shuttle and put their soap operas back on.

Oh lord, whatever you do......DO NOT MESS WITH THE SOAPS, JEOPARDY OR WHEEL OF FORTUNE!

 

[OKW Lover]

Try http://gethuman.com

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I have answered plenty of phones in my lifetime too. A short, legally required message I understand - sort of.

A good example is the l-o-n-g messages at the local pharmacy and doctor's offices. One doctor's office I used to visit had a lengthy tree outlining all the fees they charged for being a no show...then a lengthy explanation of the office hours/address (lunch breaks, after hours numbers) ...then a detailed procedure for how they handle prescription refills, a message about how they have open office hours certain mornings for established patients, the message to dial 911 for an emergency, then ten screening options.

The office had two phones, and they were right next to each other.

And it's not just patients who have to listen to all that...the insurance folks and pharmacists also have to sit though all of that, too! Imagine how much your pharmacist is slowed down by all that! I guarantee, your pharmacist's time is worth more than a call center employee or office receptionist.

I remember a time when my phone line went out. I got stuck in phone tree hell. After 45minutes hour of going in circles (I'm not kidding), I finally lost it.
I let out an unsavory word....magically, I was instantly transferred to a live agent who was very polite.

In another aggravating recent debacle: countless useless phone calls, 2 service visits, wasted hours...I called one more time. I picked option, "I wish to cancel my service", and was magically transferred to a lovely rep who was actually able to fix everything- in under 5 minutes!