We’ve all encountered it. We call a company or service and get entangled in their automated phone system. You know where you call and rerecord voice recites a series of menu choice that you have to pick or one that seems closest to what you want. And then finally you are told, via the recorded voice, to “Stay on the line and a representative will help you momentarily” or “Your call is important to us, a representative will help you.”.
First of all, if my call is so important then I wouldn’t be stuck on hoid. You’d have hired enough representative to answer the phone and help customers. But that’s really not the case. It’s all about profits and them cutting costs wherever they can so that they can pocket money in their own pockets.
I recently had to contact a credit card company regarding an issue and I am on the phone with them as I am writing this blog entry. I’ve been on hold for over 20 minutes waiting for a representative and listening to “Thank you for waiting. Please stay on the line and a representative will help you as soon as possible.” Now, I’m wondering if there is anyone actually on the other end manning the phones. Maybe they only hire independent contractors to work from home and set their own hours but one one has logged in to answer the calls. It makes one wonder what is going on. Are they really interested in helping customers or is it all a big show. Do they even intend to give you any help or is it one of the deals where their actual philosophy is <<Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line until this call is no longer important to YOU”.