Google tests a feature that calls businesses on your behalf and holds until an agent is available | TechCrunch::Google is testing a feature that places a call to a business , waits on hold and then give you a call once a representative is available.
Business services are so shitty the answer is: another service.
Reminds me of supplemental insurance plans. Fractal capitalism.
The reason business service is so bad is because it actually hurts them to provide good service. Most of the time it’s someone complaining or asking the company for a refund, etc. It’s better for business to make the process as difficult as possible to discourage anyone from trying to lodge a complaint. It’s a type of dark pattern.
“Hi thank you for holding, this is–”
“Please hold while your client becomes available. This service brought to you by Google No-U…”
Staticy jazz music
Then they hang up.
I’ve worked in a call center before and these things are not new at all. They’ve been around for a while, and at least in the place that I worked at, if the caller does not respond within the first 30 seconds, you’re allowed to hang up on them and move on to the next person waiting in line.
Keep in mind, the representative you’re speaking to didn’t make you wait in the call queue, the company did by not hiring more representatives to answer the influx of calls rapidly. When you make the representative wait for you, you’re hurting their call times, which gets them in trouble, and makes everyone else waiting in the call queue have to wait longer.
Which, will also hurt the call center manager, until they hire enough staff to answer the fucking phones in less than 30 minutes.
“Thank you for holding, sir. What may i do for you?”
"Actually, could you put me back on hold, that jazz station is lit "
And as businesses replace human phone support with AI, the future will just be two AIs waiting to talk to each other.
Many businesses already offer a call-back function where the next available agent just calls you. I’m tired of big tech shoehorning itself into every nook and cranny of life.
“A solution in search of a problem”
I don’t understand how we’ve had telephones for 150 years and this is only now a thing.
Didn’t bell experiment with this back in the 90s? Bell call answer service or something? Would wait on hold for you then cal you back.
That existed in this universe right?
I don’t know why businesses don’t just do this. At least, those who want to deal with customer calls in good faith.
In Canada there’s a healthcare support line where you can call and talk to a nurse, like if you have something going on where you’re not sure if you should go to the ER or just wait it out. They get pretty busy, so when the wait is going to be a while, they’ll have you enter a callback number and then just give you a call when it’s your turn.
Then they don’t need to have phone line capacity for all active agents plus everyone in queue (which can be much higher than the number of agents), they just need capacity for agents plus everyone going through the process to get added to the list plus everyone who decides to just wait instead.
And I don’t need to sit around giving my attention to my phone any time their hold music gets to a lull or they play a patronizing recording with PR speak about important my call is to them.
how about we ditch phone lines as the only way in the first place
And if successful then companies will hire even less people to take your calls because their KPIs will show that people are willing to wait even longer for a resolution.
This is a bandaid that has the potential to make things worse.
Moral hazard I think the term you are looking for here. Might be wrong could also be preverse incentive.
It definitely has a moral hazard aspect. Thank you.
Negative Externalities also applies
