My adolescent nephews have never experienced a Broadway play, so for their spring birthdays my husband and I took them to see Spiderman: Turn off the Dark. This show was in the headlines for various reasons – injuries, confusing plot, being the most expensive play ever produced, but it was an ideal way to introduce Broadway for novice attendees.
During the performance I attended, the scene that received the most laughs from the audience was the Green Goblin trying to reach J. Jameson at the Daily Bugle. He ended up, for lack of better words, tangled in the web of frustrating voice prompts that didn’t respond to his voice command or keypad entries. The villain was further infuriated when his choice was finally accepted—but he ended up getting put on hold.
Spoiler Alert: he had to leave a voice mail.
It dawned on me that the reason why this is so funny to everyone is that people like having something in common with one another. Not one member of the audience, the script writers for the show, even The Green Goblin can escape the clutches of automated announcements. The scene in the play was funny because it reflected a real-life problem: complicated, unresponsive voice prompts.
Sometimes, being put on hold or poor IVR systems can have you feeling left in the dark, but it doesn’t have to be. Do you know how your own IVR system is working? It might be a good idea to give your business a call and see what customers are actually experiencing—so they don’t think you’re an evil foe.
Don’t let your IVRs and MOH be the kryptonite of your customer service. Stand tall and be the super hero in your organization. Combat poorly phrased prompts and awkward call flows—lead your company to the League Of Super Customer Service.