Stuck in a Phone Tree: Some Companies Try To Make Escape Easier By LORETTA CHAO Wall Street Journal
August 8, 2006; Page D1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115497698365428928.html?mod=technology_featured_stories_hs A Web site that made a splash among consumers by helping them bypass companies' automated phone systems is now leading an effort from the corporate side to ease the problem -- and with some heavy-hitting backing. The creator of Gethuman.com, which lists "cheat sheets" for hundreds of corporate phone trees, Tuesday will announce a campaign that encourages companies to ease the aggravation of using their so-called phone trees. Companies agreeing to follow the "GetHuman Standard" guidelines -- which include allowing callers to press "0" or say "operator" to reach a live person, and to press "#" or say "repeat" to replay a menu -- will play a special tone, or "earcon," at the beginning of the call, signaling to consumers that the company is in compliance. Microsoft Corp. and Nuance Communications Inc., both of which sell automated-phone-system platforms and services, have agreed to support the standard as a recommended practice for their clients. Gethuman.com is the outgrowth of a blog by Internet entrepreneur Paul English. The blog listed ways to get around a handful of phone trees and grew into a popular Web site by taking submissions from volunteers who tested different methods. The move comes as some companies have been reacting to phone-tree complaints from customers and as legislators in at least five states have proposed bills to regulate how the systems operate. Last October, Citigroup Inc.'s credit-card unit launched a "Simplicity" card, advertising, among other benefits, immediate access to live assistance by phone. Scientists at International Business Machines Corp.'s IBM Almaden Research Center are developing a browser that would show a phone-tree map on a computer screen during customer-service calls. And at least one other firm is developing software that makes it easier for companies to monitor their phone systems and intervene when a customer has a problem. Billie McHugh, a 47-year-old artist in Cincinnati, says any relief would be welcome. She says she once tried to get through to Northwest Airlines for five hours, trying several times each hour to find a person who could help her with a question about her frequent-flier points. "I kept calling and calling, and every time you're forced to go through several prompts. Then when you think you're making headway, it says, 'Due to our call volume, please call later,'" she says. But Ms. McHugh says she has doubts about the effectiveness of any new laws, because the "do not call" lists that became law in 2003 weren't totally effective. "While I've gotten fewer phone solicitations, I still get calls," she says. Phil Doriot, managing director of CFI Group, a company that helps clients optimize customer satisfaction, says the communication gap between businesses and their customers has widened over the past several years because of the outsourcing of customer-service staff and cost-cutting. [Phone Tree] Meanwhile, consumer satisfaction with calling help lines to reach customer service "bottomed out" in the past year, he says. CFI's customer surveys have shown that the percentage of which calls are resolved in the first attempt made by a customer -- a factor closely linked with customer satisfaction -- has gone down. And though some companies have rethought the issue, Mr. Doriot says many still have not made decisions to address complaints. Last year, Citigroup tried to assuage consumer woes by guaranteeing smarter, direct-to-rep help with their products. Citi Simplicity cardholders, for example, are given the option to press "0" at any time during their call to reach a live customer-service representative -- a benefit that other Citi credit-card holders don't have. Citi Cards Executive Vice President M.V. Rajamannar said response has been overwhelmingly positive so far, but the company is still monitoring customer activity to determine weather it will be worth it to expand the service to other products. In a separate project, a team of scientists at IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., is developing a visual browser called FonePal that would pop up on your computer screen during a call to a customer-service line. The browser would show a map of the phone tree to make it possible for callers to press the buttons for their desired departments without having to listen to the full menu. Scientists at the head of the project say this solution could be implemented as soon as December, assuming companies decide to use it. Shumin Zhai, one of the scientists working on the visual browser project, says having a visual complement to automated answering services will lessen consumer frustration when dealing with phone trees, and save money spent by businesses on misrouted calls. At least 13% of calls end up connected to a representative in the wrong department, Mr. Zhai said. But with a visual aid, initial tests show that erroneous connections are reduced by 75%. A visual solution would not only satisfy more customers; it also would save businesses money lost from having to transfer customers from department to department. Some state legislators, meanwhile, are addressing the issue. A New York bill, which passed the state assembly unanimously in June, would require all health insurers doing business in New York to provide a method to bypass automated answering services for customers who are denied coverage for a specific medical service. New Jersey, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania also have bills proposing to regulate automated-phone service in various industries, including phone companies, cable-television companies and public utilities. ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
