geni wrote:
On 3/14/06, Neil Harris usenet@tonal.clara.co.uk wrote:
Ray Saintonge wrote:
Ilya N. wrote:
On 3/12/06, Anthere Anthere9@yahoo.com wrote:
1 phone call is from someone who perfectly understood she is at the
encyclopedia office, and want to know more about the cancer her sister in law just died from. Usually, the call is during the night; this is when people are scared by the dark and think of life and death.
TODO: Explain to them that all the information we have is already on the encyclopedia?
A person who makes that kind of call is looking for a response with more human sensitivity than a computer.
Then how about a short "speed-bump" IVR session before they get put through...
"Hello, you've reached the French office of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia!"
"Please listen to the following options:"
"For press enquiries, dial 1"
"For contact information, dial 2"
"For more information about Wikipedia and its mission, dial 3"
"To speak to a person at the Wikipedia France office, please hold on the line..."
<15 secs of hold music>
The intro message lets them know that they have not called the Red Cross or the White House. 1 puts them straight through 2 and 3 play a short recorded message with the appropriate info, removing the need for human intervention. The next bit reiterates who they have called in case they didn't get it the first time, and lets them know they are not going to be talking to a helpline, again helping them to refocus their mind. The 15 seconds of hold music are gently discouraging to crank callers, a fair few of which will hang up...
Once they've been through the pre-screening process, anyone who's serious enough to have kept on the line gets put straight through.
Replace the 15 seconds of hold music with the sound of nails scrapeing down blackboards. Should remove time wasters quite quickerly.
I thought we were talking about a call from someone who has just experienced a personal tragedy. You offer them automated responses from Big Brother to emphasize the insignificance of what they are feeling. I would hardly want to live in a world that is so insensitive to the human condition.
Ec