Last August I wrote a blog about a website that is filled with useful information for those situations where you need to contact a company by telephone and you wish to speak with a real, live customer service representative about some issue. If you’ve ever been stymied by an automated telephone system, you know the operative phrase here is “real, live.”
I am thrilled that the site (www.gethuman.com) is not only still in existence but is also growing and thriving. Now, in addition to the valuable list of telephone numbers for all kinds of companies and the tips for reaching a human at each of them, you can also learn how to obtain a toll-free phone number, why companies prefer automated systems that annoy customers over human systems that can solve problems, and what standards the general public has a right to expect in telephone communication with companies.
The funniest part of the site, however, is the translation guide for those automated phrases we hear all the time. When a company says, “You can access our website to answer most questions,” it’s really saying “We are too cheap to hire enough customer service reps, so we’d rather you do the work instead of having us help you with the problem our product or service has caused for you.” Or when you hear, “Your call may be recorded for training purposes,” what is really being said is, “We can use this recording against you for any future purpose we want.”
Finally, there’s this phrase: “You call will be handled by the next available representative.” Makes you feel better, right? But the fact is the next available representative will handle the caller who’s waited the longest. You are next only if that person is you.
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