Day 8 of 40 Six options

Today I’ve spent a couple of hours informing several companies and organizations which need to know my new address (so they can still sent me their bills). I informed most of them by making a phone call, others by sending an e-mail and a few (very modern ones) helped me via their digital front office.  The latter seems the most convenient, like for example the one of my hometown. When you cannot find what you are looking for, there’s someone to help you in a chat session. The digital front office of my bank seemed a little less cooperative because it pointed out that I should first inform the Chamber of Commerce. However, with opening another tab of my internet browser that turned out easy as well.

From the approximately fifteen phone calls I’ve made, there was only one organization that had their phone answered by a living human being instead of an automatic responding system. I can see the advantages of such systems, really. Imagine being an operator and having to say again and again the same thing to people who ask again and again the same kind of questions. But what I don’t like at all is when I have to pay for calling their number only to hear after an endless list of options that the waiting time is more than say 10 minutes, but that all the information is also on their website. As if I didn’t look up their website already. Or worse, when it’s my internet provider that I call because I have no connection to the internet. Anyhow, they are doing the best they can. That’s why 9 out of 10 operating systems inform you that for the purpose of investigating their customer’s satisfaction by interviewing you after you finished where you called for. Press 1 when you want to participate, and press 2 when you don’t want to participate. I’ve pressed a lot of 2’s today.

Most systems give you 6 options divided in either their products or services. Option 0 is often when you decide that none of the options says what you were looking for and that you need a human to help you further.

It kind of resembles the variety of websites we have here that try to help you out when you don’t know what party to vote for. There were elections today here in Holland. The (internet) programs guide you through several questions about important political issues. For example about euthanasia, soft drugs legalization, mortgage interest (deductable or not), etc. In the end the program gives you some graph or list with parties that represent the same kind of ideas. It would be more reliable if all the websites come up with the same advice for you, but that could also depend on your own mood when answering the questions. So, when you want to vote eventually and still don’t know which party to vote for, which is not unlikely when you think about the election campaigns, press 0 to talk personally to the political leader…