Telephone Operators vs. Telephone Systems
The telephone operators (ninety-nine per cent feminine) of businesses were very busy people . I came to work for W.C. Denison's hydraulic company in Columbus 50 years ago this month. Bill Denison had died four years before I was hired and had sold his company to ABEX, formerly the American Brake Shoe Company.
The entrepreneur was a character who left many stories in his wake at Denison. An infamous story was that W.C. called his company from a trip and the operator answered: "H'lo". Mr. Denison inquired: Who is this? The lady replied her name and he asked what company she worked for. She replied "Denison". Mr. Denison told her: "You don't anymore. This is W.C. Denison and you were to answer the company's phone: The Denison Engineering Company, How may I help you? Go to your boss and tell him I just fired you."
After hearing that story from so many, I was talking with my now deceased (at 100 years old) friend, John Cox, who verified the story. John said: "In fact, the lady worked for me and was a valued employee I tried unsuccessfully to save from the firing."
I hope some may remember the books by Robert Townsend, "Up the Organization", which sounds a little anti-establishment and was meant to be so. Mr. Townsend was CEO of Avis at the time whose slogan he established "We're No. 2, we try Harder!" Mr. Townsend touted the telephone operator-receptionists who were forming the first impression for their companies and presented the caller with immediate contacts of desired employees as possible.
That was just customer service. Today's telephone systems save the companies a few shekels, yet they lose many callers. The callers time is also valuable and systems too often discourage same. In many cases, good customers are turned off by excessive time waiting through far too many options. Money might be saved by short-sighted administrators, and customers simply go elsewhere.
I am retired from industry. Why should an old retired engineer complain?
I try to use my time as efficiently as this carcus my parents and my God gave me, but the systems tell me that their time is much more valuable than mine. Well, I don't agree. Bring back operators and if you must use systems, limit the steps to 2 or 3 before connecting with a live operator, please!
I will, no doubt, pass on long before any such return in business happens. Oh well... I can still be a customer, but not after I pass on.
SamKat aka Sam Kegley
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