Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Richard.Lerner@lerner.avalon.cs.cmu.edu Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Autoconnect From DA in PA Message-ID: <13943@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 23 Oct 90 19:33:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 43 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 756, Message 12 of 12 When you call Directory Assistance in (Pittsburgh) Pennsylvania, after you give the operator the name you want to find, you FIRST get a 15 second or so recording about auto connect (its a $.30 surcharge) and THEN get the number you desired. What a waste of time! They should at least give you the number first. I think that the designers of automated phone systems (and other systems) often forget that peoples' time is of some value. They consider only the most naive users and ignore the effects of the system on "more advanced users". Other examples are phone menus with agonizingly long descriptions of your options in a slow deliberate monotone voice; "If you are calling from a pushbutton phone pleeeze dial 1 to connect you with a sales representative. If you are in need of service or repair, pleeeze dial 2. If you ... If you are dialing from a rotary phone, please hold the line and an operator will assist you." Less socially friendly, but more user-friendly would be: "Push 1 for sales, 2 for repairs, ..., or hold for an operator." My most recent example of poor design was when I called Sprint to be added to their frequent caller program. The number was answered with a phone menu (like the long one above). Having the requisite touch-tone phone, I pushed 1. The machine next asked for my account number. Since I was calling from work, I did not have my number handy and I figured that my name would be sufficient if someone would listen to it. So I waited for a time out... "Please enter your account number now" ... "Please enter your account number now." ... "Please enter your account number now." .... Finally, the machine just hung up!!! I should point out that this number is not Sprint's normal customer service number, but a special number for their frequent caller program (possibly some outside vendor) and when, upon calling back and waiting through their phone menu recording, I finally did speak to an operator, she sounded sincere when she said she would forward my comments to the appropriate people. Rick Lerner (ral+@cs.cmu.edu) School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University End of TELECOM Digest V10 #756 ******************************