Do menu systems really change that frequently?

July 18, 2005 10:31 AM

Why do so many automated message systems have the line "please listen carefully as our menu options have changed"?

It seems like almost any company I call (credit card, tech support, cell phone, utilities, even small businesses) makes this statement. Do the menus really change that frequently, or is it just to get you to pay attention instead of hitting zero to connect instantly?

posted by ArsncHeart to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

I guess they assume some people have memorized the key sequence they need to hit to, say, check their account balances. So instead of just banging 1, 4, 3 quickly, the caller knows to wait and listen to the menu.
posted by knave at 10:42 AM on July 18, 2005

I think it's a little of both. They are trying to get people to pay attention, sure, but many of the places I call have a tendency to change their menu options every few months.
posted by jdroth at 10:42 AM on July 18, 2005

I've heard that they say that, even if they haven't changed, just to make you actually listen.
posted by pmurray63 at 10:44 AM on July 18, 2005

I've always taken it as a ubiquitous but clear mark of poor customer service. They want the customer's time to be wasted, not the operators, so they say that in order to make sure you listen and press the right button at the right time. That way they don't have to have someone transfer you or talk to you if they don't need to.

Alertnatively, they want to save you the time you might spend waiting in a queue that was the wrong one.
posted by OmieWise at 11:08 AM on July 18, 2005

Tip for system haters: Any reputable system will let you hit zero for "Get me a live operator now, dammit."
posted by o2b at 11:11 AM on July 18, 2005

Why can't it be "Please listen carefully. We changed our menu options last on November 22nd, 2004".
posted by parma at 12:27 PM on July 18, 2005

That's an excellent point, parma. If the reason is truly because the messages really have recently changed, then why DON'T they date stamp the message. Otherwise, it's pretty obvious.
posted by SparkyPine at 12:33 PM on July 18, 2005

I would venture it's more polite than saying:
"Hi. We've got some options on our phone tree. We do this so you don't have to sort through 5 different phone numbers to talk to us! Each of the phone options gets you to a pool of different staff folks who have different knowledge/abilities/access rights. If you *listen* to our menu rather than pressing a random button, you'll have a better chance of getting the right area with minimal frustration. If you do press random buttons, we'll be glad to put you through to the right folks. Please don't get all pissy with us if we don't have a magic way of getting you there faster than if you'd just pressed the right button."
posted by Gable Oak at 1:42 PM on July 18, 2005

I would guess that, seeing as its a customer service type line, your being charged an extortionate amount for calling it.

Saying the menu options have changed just makes people stay on the line longer, meaning more money for the operator.
posted by lemonfridge at 2:18 PM on July 18, 2005

...From someone who used to answer phones, train agents, document customer service patterns, and negotiate with outsource companies...

There are actually a few things that are going on. From a business perspective, a caller on hold (listening to a phone tree) is less expensive than a caller on the phone with the proper person to assist them. Additionally, hitting the right buttons and getting yourself to the right person is less expensive than hitting the wrong buttons and wasting everyone's time by getting to the wrong person. Of course, if their phone tree sucks enough, and you eventually hang up to figure out the problem on the web or by yourself, the business will save even more money.

Aternatively, often times customer service providers track how long people are on hold before talking to an actual person. They use this data to show their clients or their bosses how quick they are to answer the phone. The catch is, that they often times start counting, only after the person has actually hit the last button in the phone tree and is really at this point just waiting for the person to pick up. Saying you only make your customers wait 5 seconds on hold, is a lot better than saying you make your customers go through a phone tree for 2 minutes, then wait 5 seconds on hold but that's really how it works.

Again, from a business perspective. The longer the phone tree is, the less people will actually sit through it. The less people will return something, the less people will waste the company's time, the less customer service agents you need to have on staff, etc... Sad but true fact.
posted by pwb503 at 2:40 PM on July 18, 2005

OmieWise said:
I've always taken it as a ubiquitous but clear mark of poor customer service. They want the customer's time to be wasted, not the operators . . .

And pwb503 said:
The longer the phone tree is, the less people will actually sit through it. The less people will return something, the less people will waste the company's time, the less customer service agents you need to have on staff, etc...

So there you go. Your time is worth nothing; theirs is expensive. Also, it gives them a chance to condescendingly put you in your place, you inattentive time-waster.

posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:29 PM on July 18, 2005

You can't always write this off to slimy tricks; sometimes it's a simple oversight. My last job was at a small company, where the phone system was a minor side job for the customer service manager. She was being honest when she recorded a new menu and said "our menu selections have changed", since they just had. Once the menu was recorded, though, she went back to managing customer service and forgot all about it, leaving the warning forever.

I bet this happens in more cases than you'd suspect. Changing the recordings is a huge ordeal of dense printouts and arcane numbers, and when it only happens once or twice a year, keeping it up to date can slip through the cracks.

Also, to tangent a bit from pwb503's comment:
Of course, if their phone tree sucks enough, and you eventually hang up to figure out the problem on the web or by yourself, the business will save even more money.

In a call center, hanging up before you talk to someone is called "abandoning". If you abandon while you're waiting to talk to someone, it's a black mark on the stats sheet. If you hang up in the phone tree, though, the company figures their brilliant automated system has fixed your problem, and ticks the "solved" box.
posted by pocams at 7:35 PM on July 18, 2005

Tip for system haters: Any reputable system will let you hit zero for "Get me a live operator now, dammit."

This is a dead hint. Many systems I use now hang up the call or repeat the menu if I hit zero.
posted by Mo Nickels at 9:15 PM on July 18, 2005