Bell Telephone and You!
Okay, as you can tell, I'm here again with an axe to grind. My landline phone isn't working. Before you jump to conclusions, my phone bill is paid and my phones do date into the last decade. No problems there. You might think its the lack of dialtone that is upsetting to me... and it is, but shit happens. I accept that, so that's not my major malfunction...
Once again, my problem is voice input systems, why can't people ever learn?
I call up the bell system on my cell phone, an act that is already costing me painful amounts of money to listen to some sacchrine voiced computer system talking to me. Not only do they give it the most bimbo-cheery female voice, but they name it 'Emily'. Does this stand for something? Is the name of the person who supplied the voice amplitudes? Who knows, but a name does not make a computer system a person... CREEPY. Now on to the major complaint.
I've said it before, I'll say it again... when you have a speech and language problem, the last thing you want is to have important service, like a telephone, dependant on your ability to say phrases and single word answers into a phone receiver. I screwed around with that damned system for 10 minutes before finally being able to yell into the reciever, "I WANT TO TALK TO A HUMAN!". Evidently, Emily hears that a lot because it transferred me to customer service. Maybe it hears yelling and runs, perhaps its more human than we thought.
I can never understand for the life of me why its so damned difficult to give people a keypunch option on menues. I know, you want to keep the bloody voice activated system, its sexy, its exciting, the feminine voice responding to your every whim thrills you... but COME ON, its a computer and there are people out there who can't access it's programme because of speech and language issues. My stutter invariably sends me off into the equivalent of voice input purgatory.
So, a simple solution? I'm not saying that those who aren't vocally impaired shouldn't be allowed to play with their telephone vixens, but give us both! Surely it isn't that hard to have little Ms Sexyvoice to both respond immediately if you say what she wants to hear, or give out keypunch options and respond to that as well. I know you're not going to give us what we really want, real human beings to talk to, so give us the next best thing... a choice that allows those of us that can't easily get satisfaction from voice activated responses the dignity of still being able to have our needs met like anyone else.
Is that really so much to ask for?
Once again, my problem is voice input systems, why can't people ever learn?
I call up the bell system on my cell phone, an act that is already costing me painful amounts of money to listen to some sacchrine voiced computer system talking to me. Not only do they give it the most bimbo-cheery female voice, but they name it 'Emily'. Does this stand for something? Is the name of the person who supplied the voice amplitudes? Who knows, but a name does not make a computer system a person... CREEPY. Now on to the major complaint.
I've said it before, I'll say it again... when you have a speech and language problem, the last thing you want is to have important service, like a telephone, dependant on your ability to say phrases and single word answers into a phone receiver. I screwed around with that damned system for 10 minutes before finally being able to yell into the reciever, "I WANT TO TALK TO A HUMAN!". Evidently, Emily hears that a lot because it transferred me to customer service. Maybe it hears yelling and runs, perhaps its more human than we thought.
I can never understand for the life of me why its so damned difficult to give people a keypunch option on menues. I know, you want to keep the bloody voice activated system, its sexy, its exciting, the feminine voice responding to your every whim thrills you... but COME ON, its a computer and there are people out there who can't access it's programme because of speech and language issues. My stutter invariably sends me off into the equivalent of voice input purgatory.
So, a simple solution? I'm not saying that those who aren't vocally impaired shouldn't be allowed to play with their telephone vixens, but give us both! Surely it isn't that hard to have little Ms Sexyvoice to both respond immediately if you say what she wants to hear, or give out keypunch options and respond to that as well. I know you're not going to give us what we really want, real human beings to talk to, so give us the next best thing... a choice that allows those of us that can't easily get satisfaction from voice activated responses the dignity of still being able to have our needs met like anyone else.
Is that really so much to ask for?