Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!ucsd!nosc!humu!uhccux!cs313s03
From: cs313s03@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Teleflex & Coffee Pots (Was Re: Hit "n".)
Keywords: AutoDial, Autoanswer, Speech, VoiceMail, Modem, Remote Control
Message-ID: <2892@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Date: 28 Dec 88 16:00:25 GMT
References: <2886@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <18460@santra.UUCP>
Reply-To: cs313s03@uhccux.UUCP (.)
Organization: .
Lines: 53

In article<18460@santra.UUCP> makela_otto_@jylk.jyu.fi (Otto J. Makela) writes:
|
|  No.  Mercy, NO....


	You're absolutely right that you shouldn't have to wait to get the
	information you need while calling overseas.  I've had to wait on
	hold long distance while waiting for a tech support person to 
	become available. Obviously these folks can't afford enough staff.

	Then when someone finally comes on the line, it's the wrong dept
	or something and they tell me I should speak to another person.
	So that means waiting on hold some more. Couldn't I just leave a
	message telling what I want and have the correct person call me back?
	(that way it's *their* phone bill, not mine.)

	So after I get done thoroughly explaining my question and giving my
	contact information, invariably the message gets distilled down to
	just name and return phone number so when the correct person calls 
	me back, s)he has no idea what I called about in the first place.
	I wish I could just leave the full message in my own words so the
	correct person could listen to it and get all the information.

	Sometimes I don't even need to wait on hold to talk to a person.
	If I just want them to send some product info or (the example you
	gave) to order a catalog, all I want to do is leave my name and
	address and tell them to send it.  

	It's also a drag when there's no answer.  Especially for us because
	we're in a different time zone.  By the time our business hours
	commence, others are nearly closed for the day.  It would be nice
	if I could call 24 hours a day, but no one wants to hire staff to
	stay and answer questions or take product orders 'round the clock.  

	In your case, it seems like most of the waiting was for the
	*person* to come around.  The telephone system was in fact available
	and already tending to your call. If they had their telephone switching
	system programmed correctly you should've been able to leave
	a message for them to call *you* back. (Their phone bill, not yours.)

	Machine don't sleep so they're available 24 hours a day.  (Try
	convincing your staff they should stay till midnight and answer 
	the phones :-). I can reach it and get information even if
	their offices are closed but it is still during business hours 
	in my time zone. 

	I like it because I can leave a message in my own voice 
	explaining my whole question or what product I want to order and
	they will call *me* back when their office opens the following day.