30 June 2003 - customer service

1. In olden days, service was carried out by grease monkeys.
2. The telephone kept customers in the woods, but also offered them irritating convenience.
3. The automated phone system, with a menu tree, finally solved the convenience problem.
4. The latest retreat is voice misrecognition software.
“Say ‘information’ for advertising or ‘agent’ to speak to a trained baboon.”
“Agent.”
“I think you said ‘orangutang’. Thank you for calling Superior Products and Services, your source for enterprise solutions excellence. Please say ‘information’ or ‘agent’.”