Planning and Press 1 for ......

Planning is sometimes a futile exercise.  I know, don’t talk about physical exertion early in the morning.  I suffer the same fate – pulling myself out of bed on a dark, rainy and chilly day.  This day is for ducks, fish and other waterfowl.  Working at home, remotely, telecommuting or phoning it in never sounded better.

Speaking of phoning it in, if you were to create an interactive voice response system (you know those systems that typically begin with “push one for English” and so forth) for yourself, one that would give people a choice of how they wanted to interact with you, how would you construct at least the first three prompts?

I think it would be an interesting research project enable people to be able to choose which “me” they wanted to talk with. This system could enable me to control my interactions.  Let’s try it.

Press 1 if you would like to hear about my commute to work

Press 2 if you would like to hear me say “good morning”

Press 3 if you would like to hear me complain about the traffic

Press 4 if you would like me to tell you I’m busy

Press 5… well you get the idea.  It would be like texting except you would have preprogrammed responses.

Sounds too automatic, too impersonal?  I agree, so what’s my point?  Controlling the amount of interaction does not always breed efficiency.  We put up with it in the business world with sculpted customer service.  Did you like that word “sculpted”?  Having someone decide what you have for choices isn’t egalitarian.  In fact, it raises questions, including: how do ‘they’ know what I want to hear?  And why are these choices tailored to manage or control the extent of my interaction?

We probably need a Press 0 if you want to talk with me directly.  The “0” is my favorite number pad option.  I bang on that baby until a live voice picks up the call.  Feels good to be able to ask a question without trying to fit the question into the ‘canned’ responses some customer service sculptor decided were best for the organization.

What’s best for the organization is not always best for the constituencies it serves.  Similarly, limited engagement is a euphemism for a skirmish (if you’re a military buff) and also for ‘I don’t have time for more than superficial responses’.

We are a civilization built upon interactions, engagement, empathy and sympathy.  When feelings are ‘engaged’ we become personally involved in a situation.  We don’t live on sound bytes (or is it ‘bites’) that spin things in the direction others want us to travel.

Let’s not allow ourselves to be pigeonholed, directed, to become blind followers.  Each voice is individual, unique and important.  Be a unique voice.  Don’t allow efficiency to disable your ability to be effective in the pursuit of your goals.

Stay dry and remember to Press “0” to talk to a live operator.

Love and hugs, Nikki DeCaro