Here are a few tips and tricks to help you save time when using the telephone:
1. Swear Like a Sailor When Dealing With Annoying Computers
Everyone at some point in their life has had to call a company to get information or pay their bills. Usually, a computer picks up the phone and tries to direct you to the department that can help you out. In an ideal world, you are connected through right away to the correct department. In reality, it almost never works out. The computer keeps asking you for more information and eventually you wind up talking to Bill in Accounting when you wanted to speak with a Customer Service Rep.
For the phone systems that have voice recognition, usually the word “Operator” does the trick. However, on some occasions it will not put you through to a company representative. Most phone systems out there are set up to recognize swear words. These swear words are indicative of a highly agitated customer and as such are given high priority in the telephone queue. So the next time you get “Push 2 for English,” try letting loose a few swear words and see what happens.
I had to call Verizon two days ago and their atrocious customer service phone center put me through to the telephone department when I wanted to be connected to the Internet department. After my 3rd attempt at calling Verizon, I let loose 6 or the “dirty 7″ curse words and was instantly connected to an operator.
And my mother told me my potty mouth wouldn’t get me anywhere in life….
2. Don’t Dial 411 – Use GOOG411
What do payphones, pagers and 411 all have in common? They belong in the year 1990. An average 411 call from your home or cell phone will wind up costing you around $2.50. Google has come to our rescue and has a service called “GOOG411″ which enables you to use their automated system for free.
Simply dial (or enter it into your phone book as I did) 1-800-GOOG-411. That’s 1-800-466-4411 for those of you with rotary phones. You will be connected to Googles free 411 system where a computer will ask you for the name of the person or business and city and state you are trying to call. They will then connect you for free !
3. Rejection Hotline
If you are single (this usually works best for females) and are tired of guys whom you aren’t interested in asking you for your phone number, simply give them a number from the Rejection Hotline. When the guy goes home and tries to call you, he will hear a humorous recorded message stating that you are not interested in talking to him. It tends to work a lot better than the number: 867-5309. Tommy Tutone is making a big comeback nowadays….
4. Consolidate Your Phones with Google Grand Central
If you are like most people, you have more than one phone number. Google Grand Central is a free service that gives you a new telephone number and allows for maximum control over your phone number(s).
5. Direct Phone Numbers
A basic internet search can provide you with direct phone numbers of company representatives. There are many websites and forums out there that have long lists of phone numbers for various companies that connect directly to a human being. No more yelling and screaming at the computer over the phone !