04-10-2007, 08:07 AM
Quote:California Assemblyman Mike Davis has filed Assembly Bill 865, which would require every state agency to have an employee -- not an automated operator -- answer its customer service line. "Technology is great, but we're losing a little bit of the human interaction that allows people to feel like someone is interested in their problem," said Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento)...
Critics of AB 865 say automation can save time and money, providing push-button answers without forcing callers to hold for interminably long periods, perhaps listening to canned music, while live operators struggle with multiple phone lines...
Dennis Tootelian, a professor of marketing at California State University, Sacramento, said it is not unusual for private businesses to try automated systems and then switch to live receptionists to build better customer relationships...
full article: http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/56768.html