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June 13th, 2000

Please Listen to the Menu Carefully

Have you ever noticed how every voice automated phone system tells you to “listen to the menu” because their “menu has recently changed”? Somehow, I sincerely doubt that any of these companies are really that vigilant about keeping their voice system that up-to-date. One time I heard this message followed by comments that were only relevant to callers four months earlier (whether it was a holiday message or Y2K message, I don’t remember).

Besides, for usability’s sake, shouldn’t all the main menu items that a frequent caller may have memorized stay the same? For instance, does a credit card company really need to change the fact you press 1 for “current balance and transaction information,” 2 for “billing address,” and 0 for “a customer service representative”? -ram

Posted in Consumer Commentary

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