Avoid phone menus – Speak directly with an operator [Tips]

The more things change, the more they remain the same! In the good ol’ days when you dialed any company, you would be greeted by a friendly voice. Not any more, today when you dial any company you are greeted by a computer (trying to replace a human). As many of you would have experienced, a computer assistant is woefully inadequate in handling human requests. To add to the misery, the option to speak to a human agent is so deeply hidden in the menu that it becomes almost impossible to get yourself “heard”. Not to forget the long menus that you have to listen only to find that your option does not exist in the options.

Not any longer. Now you have some options to reach the desired option without going through the entire phone menu. Here are some of the options:

• Dial-A-Human or GetHuman: Both these sites provide codes that you can enter to reach a human operator directly without going through the menus. They have a huge database covering almost all the major companies. After dialing a number, just enter the code to reach the operator directly.
• Fonolo: Fonolo provides you the ability to visually navigate the phone menu. Once you select the spot you need to call, Fonolo can automatically dial the number and navigate to the desired position and then dial your number so that you do not have to go through the process and save those precious minutes. Fonolo calls it “deep dialing”. Fonolo also provides an “intelligent call history” that you make through it. This allows you to keep a log of all the communication you had with a company, which can be handy in case of billing disputes or complaints. Fonolo, however, is in closed beta so you will have to wait to use it.
• Directline: If you are a proud owner of an iPhone, you have another option. You can use Directline directly on your iPhone. Once you tell Directline whom you want to call, it will connect the call and navigate to the operator for you and then you are good to go!! Unlike the previous options, Directline is not free, you will have to pay $.99 at the app store.

Not sure, how will companies react to these. IVR is a huge cost saver for companies. If all the customers avoid the IVR, the cost of servicing the customers will shoot. Beyond a point, this will ultimately be passed on to the customers. So make judicious use of these services, you do not have to speak to an agent to find out the balance on your account!!!

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