Do NOT use voice-recognition software for your telephone menus. No one likes to be told, "Say: 'member' or 'provider'", and then be told, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't understand that" after obeying the aforementioned command. Have you ever heard of 2001: A Space Odeyssey? We are not Dave, and we do not want to be told by the happy computer voice that you're afraid that you can't do that.
Tell us to press 1, 2 or 3. That's easy. That's a message that can't be misinterpreted by your software. I didn't swear after the software couldn't understand my answer of "member", but I can't even guess how many recordings your company has of "MEMBER, I said MEMBER you #$Q&#$%^#$$# machine!"
And the worst insult is the voice you choose for your voice-recognition software. It's such a pretty, reasonable female voice, the sort of voice that almost sounds like a real person. But we know it's not. You know it's not. Why pretend? If you have to have a machine talking to us, make it sound like a machine. We're not amused to be talking to a machine, but we're less amused to be talking to a machine that's under the illusion that it's a person. Having your machine say, "Hang on a moment while I look that up," as if it has it's finger in a book full of customer information is pretence at its most annoying. I can almost picture it's prettily-manicured nails stuck between the pages.
I'm telling you, I'd rather hear "press one thousand two hundred and seventy-four" rather than "say 'member'" any day.
-Jess
-Jess
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5 comments:
Jess,
You should send this in to that site where Micah won money. I bet you'd win too. AND I totally agree with you.
becca
Yeah, send this to Everyday Hogwash.
They have to use voice-rec cuz too many people are too illiterate (their parents weren't married) to know what the numbers mean.
I was calling a customer service department today and while the voice was giving me my options, the dog barked in the other room. The voice stopped abruptly and then she said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand."
Many times especially Telstra the voice-recognition doesn't even know what you are saying even those you speak in a clear voice.
Well okay you have to shout a 2nd time to make sure it understand you and even then many times I cannot hear you.
There's a really funny ad on TV about those systems...
I voted for you! best of luck!
: )
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