Google tests a feature that calls businesses on your behalf and holds until an agent is available | TechCrunch::Google is testing a feature that places a call to a business , waits on hold and then give you a call once a representative is available.
Great using AI to wait out hold time to talk to a different AI.
Next up, getting your AI to talk to the other AI too.
My computer to talk to the company’s computer? So a website?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The new feature, called “Talk to a Live Rep,” would get rid of the need for users to wait countless minutes, and sometimes hours, listening to hold music trying to get connected to a customer service agent.
With Talk to a Live Rep, Google’s systems will navigate the phone tree for you and then call you back when a customer service agent is available.
Talk to a Live Rep proactively calls the business on your behalf, getting rid of the need for you to enable the whole process yourself.
Google will then send you SMS updates about its progress and will then call you once a customer representative is available to speak with you.
The supported businesses include Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, Boost Mobile, Samsung, ADT, Instacart, UPS, Zelle, State Farm and more.
As with any other experimental feature, it’s unknown when Talk to a Live Rep will reach a wider audience.
The original article contains 476 words, the summary contains 157 words. Saved 67%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
If they ever get this perfected, the next step would be to deal with the inevitable “you actually have the wrong department. Please hold while I transfer you to some other asshole”.
Then they’ll kill it like they do everything else. I won’t be using this or testing it because I have zero trust it’ll even exist next month.
I’ve been using it for months. I don’t expect it’ll be free forever, but I’m using it while it’s around. Not using it is like not watching a movie because it won’t be streaming on Netflix forever. Enjoy it while it’s here. Of course, if you didn’t want to support Google, that’s a different story altogether and I would support that.
Business services are so shitty the answer is: another service.
Reminds me of supplemental insurance plans. Fractal capitalism.
My company stresses customer service. We have our phones set up to ring the person, after two rings, ring all department phones, after 4, anyone who can answer outside calls.
Every call is answered. Everyone is trained how to start a call and get them to the right person.
I’m on that list even though I shouldn’t be. I volunteered to be a 4th ring because I value that mentality.
What company is this‽ literally no way it’s a public facing company that deals with regular customers b2b maybe?
The company I work for does that as well for its retail environment, it sounds good on paper but the only thing it’s done is all the secondary phones now are ignored until it’s a transfer ring. After a certain time of day(when the receptionist goes home) it just won’t be answered unless a manager is the one who answers. This is partially due to the lack of training of the secondary and partially of the “no departments ever close” policy so if you answer it you are expected to help even if it’s on the opposite side in an area you know nothing about
The reason business service is so bad is because it actually hurts them to provide good service. Most of the time it’s someone complaining or asking the company for a refund, etc. It’s better for business to make the process as difficult as possible to discourage anyone from trying to lodge a complaint. It’s a type of dark pattern.
This seems like an overly complicated explanation when the alternative explanation is so simple: More call center employees can answer more phones, but call center employees cost money to hire, and businesses do not like spending money.
But the entire department is a loss for them… Can you tell me the last time you called customer support to give them more money?
It’s two sides of the same coin… It’s as simple as you say, but not as innocent
I can tell you the last time I called customer support and it caused me to return the product and never buy from that company again
That’s harder for companies to put into an excel sheet, though
Next step is selling recaptcha for phones.
Haven’t they been talking about this for years and years now?
yeah, and it’s been getting kind of implemented in parts on the pixel.
My last few Pixels have had a similar option when calling IVR systems. “hold for me” it’s labeled as. I still have to navigate the initial prompts but once it’s hold time, I hit the button and it sits through the hold music, promoting me once it detects an agent.
It will Speech to Text the menus if you press the option as soon as you dial in. That’s a little less useful currently.
One of the things I miss after dropping Graphene on my Pixel 8.
promoting me once it detects an agent
“hi this is Jeremy, how-”
“I’m a let you finish but this caller is the greatest caller of all time”
“OK i-”
“of all time!”
Many businesses already offer a call-back function where the next available agent just calls you. I’m tired of big tech shoehorning itself into every nook and cranny of life.
I remember evaluating call centre systems probably 12 years ago where I was working at the time and this was becoming a thing - I’m surprised it hasn’t become more widespread in that time. I’ve honestly only interacted with two companies between then and now where this was an option given to me.
“A solution in search of a problem”
You apparently haven’t tried calling local government agencies in mid-size cities, or a good chunk of airlines. It’s frustrating and I welcome anything that can help.
Straight into a judgemental, ad hominem attack pretending to know anything about a total stranger, dismissing any possibility of life experience with your imaginary knowledge, just because they have a different opinion. Amazing.
Couple of times I tried using it, the reps were super confused and kept asking me to reveal the name of third party on the line. As a joke I once replied Google Androidov and the guy just wrote it down.
Some straight up refused to speak to me because of third party on the line.
Most just hang up as soon they hear any kind of automated message.
I wish there was a silent mode at least available to single party consent states or for a list of numbers that tell you your call will be recorded without an option to opt out.
Although Talk to a Live Rep is similar to the Pixel’s “Hold for Me” feature, Google says there are some differences, noting that while some of the underlying technology is the same, Talk to a Live Rep goes one step further.
Mood
how about we ditch phone lines as the only way in the first place
Can’t wait until I can tell my AI to call my bank’s AI when I need something, because letting me e-mail them would be too hard.
It’s actually really easy to email the bank’s AI. Just send a fax of self addressed envelope containing a print out of your correspondence to: 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3
“Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire that has broken out at the promises of…”
Email isn’t secure. Using a free to use data mining AI is apparently
And as businesses replace humans with AI, the future will just see two AIs waiting to talk to each other.
I’ll have my guy contact your guy
A potentially awesome service…from a company that offers no contact numbers or email addresses.
“Hi thank you for holding, this is–”
“Please hold while your client becomes available. This service brought to you by Google No-U…”
Staticy jazz music
Then they hang up.
I’ve worked in a call center before and these things are not new at all. They’ve been around for a while, and at least in the place that I worked at, if the caller does not respond within the first 30 seconds, you’re allowed to hang up on them and move on to the next person waiting in line.
Which, will also hurt the call center manager, until they hire enough staff to answer the fucking phones in less than 30 minutes.
“Thank you for holding, sir. What may i do for you?”
"Actually, could you put me back on hold, that jazz station is lit "
