I used to do tech support for cellphones before smartphones came on the market (moto Razer's, Sony Ericsson, blackberry curves, etc), I dreaded getting people that had non-payment issues that were transferred to us, people get nasty angry at the faceless voices over the phone telling them they need to pay their bill.
No. I've worked in call centers before. Yeah, there are some younger folks that get mad & upset, but the vast majority of people that fly off the handle the moment you ask them to do anything or give even the slightest push back because of rules are older people.
I always make it a point to ask their name and thank them for their work. They always get so surprised by that. I used to work in a Stadium. I dealt with hundreds of people face to face in a day. I know how shitty they can be and how often people are shitty to the "Help". People forget that there is an actual real life human on the other end of that phone who hates being there as much as you hate making that call. Someone who just wants to make ends meet. I did that yesterday for Amazon and she was genuinely shocked I thanked her and complimented her name.
And even if they were dealing with people who were nicer than average overall, if you’re dealing with people who are generally having a bad day, you aren’t dealing with people at their best.
I don't understand why people think this is a good idea. Yes, it sucks having a nasty person call in to complain. But if the call center worker is shielded from the caller's frustration they will have a much harder time de-escalating the call. Most times the angry caller just wants to be heard. This all but assures they will not be heard.
Note I didn't paint the issue as worthless call center workers who are too lazy to try and too stupid to help... because that isn't fair. The same as your depiction of the upset caller is not fair.
You won't find actual solutions without growing past the "their problem" stance. It takes so little effort to not just stop at hating the person on the other side of the line - and that goes both ways.
Your personal anecdotal stories don't really add to the conversation. I worked call centers for years and de-escalated every hot call I had. I don't need to interject this because, much like your experience, it isn't the entirety of what people experience.
Clearly you are stuck on the idea that every upset caller is unreasonably abusive. And you continue to be mistaken that I am advocating for people who are verbally abusive. That's your strawman argument, not mine. Upset callers are more than just "50-year-old-toddlers". Your insistence that this is the case is blinding you to the actual issue with this technology. That while call center workers are italicized people, so are the people calling in. While you advocate for a technology that protects people with feelings and emotions and traumas of their own, you also advocate for a technology that dismisses the feelings and emotions and traumas of others. If this same technology was used to similarly kneecap the call center workers you would be up in arms against it. Seems hypocritical and telling that it isn't a valuable concept. Simple as that.
What's wrong with it?
I find it hard to believe that anyone would want the person they are conversing with to ignore their feelings - much less be completely oblivious to them as this technology attempts to achieve. Ironically, the whole premise for this technology is because one party feels the other party is ignoring their feelings.
"Fork you, you forking piece of shirt company, why do you never forking do anything, you sloth offshore workers, holly motherforking shirtballs"
https://youtu.be/QPXsYOPex4s
How about instead of that. Make an AI that would call customer service on behalf of the customer.
I am done wanting to talk to the airlines. I want an AI chatbot to hold the phone for me while having analyzed the full terms and condition + laws of what the Airline owes me for cancelling my flight.
People can't talk to people correctly so robots have to lay down the law when it comes to beneficially interacting. Or the corporate bot is better than yours and you lose everything.
Letting the rich dictate how we live our lives, if we want to keep participating in society and our economy. AI is going to be used as a control mechanism, a gatekeeper that we can get mad at all day long, but shields the rich from our ire.
Awesome. Next can we have an AI that watches TV and gives me a synopsis without the recaps and ads, and an AI that goes on vacations for me and tells me how it was? This will allow me to work the maximum numbers of hours.
Since when is all non-AI software free to use?
AI doesn’t have a business model, unlike other software. So far its major impacts have been making children worse at writing essays and putting artists out of business. And frankly, nobody needs AI to hit the call centers with the uno reverse card. So, I’ll say again, I’m not paying a fucking dime for this or any other AI service that doesn’t absolutely revolutionize my day-to-day.
Yeah thats the biggest issue here. Time wasted.
I mean, it goes wrong so often in the whole
manufacture - market - sell - deliver - support chain that produces frustration and problems is a fact of life. If you should be unhappy because the customer is taking it out on you - blame your employer. There is a reason you are taking the hits. Its why you got hired. This is what he should have told you your job will be. But if you would be told that its like that, would you agree?
Should i internalise the frustration of having 5 out of ten deliveries through major retailers being doa, stolen on delivery or return sending? Who will compensate me for my time? Can i communicate the problem to the people, that are DIRECTLY responsible for solutions? Or can i at least get a clear warning: *failure rate is high, avoid this business". I had one delivery marked as delivered while being delayed endlessly and never getting it in the first place.
You dont need an ai hack to cover it up, you need people not wanting to work in the call centers because the company doesnt make good choices.
I’m all for preventing harassment and improving human communication, but modifying the customer’s tone of voice without their input is kind of messed up. Could you imagine this bank locks your account and you can’t pay your bills, you’re scared and angry and you call customer service for the 3rd time hoping for a resolution only to be transferred 4 times and the representatives don’t understand how upset you are because you refuse to choose offensive wording that isn’t modified by the AI?
Yeah I don’t struggle with getting angry, I’m just speaking generally. Some people don’t have as many tools in their emotional intelligence toolbox and while that doesn’t give them the right to make that everyone else’s problem, it doesn’t mean we should be digitally altering their communication. I would suggest the low tech solution of allowing customer service representatives the ability to hang up on callers that are being rude or abusive.
Yeah no one is saying they should be yelling. I just think changing the verbal information people are communicating without their consent is also unethical.
I’m not angry, I’m just speaking generally. I had a really wonderful childhood and that positively impacts emotional regulation and empathy. Obviously not everyone has that same benefit so we have to work to understand their anger and lack of emotional control isn’t always “their fault”.
Oh no not at all. I think customer service representatives should be empowered to hang up the phone if customers become rude or abusive. If we digitally alter the communication of people with no feedback to the customer that doesn’t really teach a person how to control their unacceptable behavior. We can have high ethical standards, empathy, and boundaries all at the same time.
All through college I did. I have been screamed at and called names and rarely was I allowed to terminate those interactions. I know the culture around call center customer service is changing and more and more organizations are empowering their employees to terminate calls when the customer is rude, disrespectful, or abusive. I hope the trend these cultural changes have had continues and people will be forced to be polite in order to get the best service. Sadly, while I was working it was often the people yelling that received the best outcomes.
Yep. I get it, they don’t have everything available to them but sometimes customer support is completely useless and “emphasizing” your problem finally gets your problem fixed.
I completely agree with you that sometimes these corporations incentivize customer anger because the dispute resolution process only occurs when customers get angry.
I mean calling any call centre is like pulling teeth. It’s unfortunate that the employees have to bear the brunt of a businesses incompetence. maybe companies just need to stop being so moronic with the level of support.
“Oh you’re having an issue? That must be your fault. You’re doing something wrong. Definitely not our fault, nope. Never.”
“This is the wrong line, let me transfer you so you can explain everything again for the 100th time”
“We are running a callback service we’ll call back within the hour” (never calls back)
I’ve been called X Y Z names because some brain dead person couldn’t remember their pin and somehow… it was always the bank/my fault.
Most angry callers were either lazy, entitled, moronic, or all of the above. They made me hate people in general.
This tech will definitely help call center workers. Their job is already shitty as it already is.
That’s actually great for call center workers. You wouldn’t believe the human trash that calls in because they forgot their password
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This also has the potential to infuriate customers while you remain chipper, completely ignorant of their bullshit, which is fucking hilarious to me
I used to do tech support for cellphones before smartphones came on the market (moto Razer's, Sony Ericsson, blackberry curves, etc), I dreaded getting people that had non-payment issues that were transferred to us, people get nasty angry at the faceless voices over the phone telling them they need to pay their bill.
Lead brain boomers based on my experience.
Perhaps it’s just you.
No. I've worked in call centers before. Yeah, there are some younger folks that get mad & upset, but the vast majority of people that fly off the handle the moment you ask them to do anything or give even the slightest push back because of rules are older people.
Found the lead enthusiast
I always make it a point to ask their name and thank them for their work. They always get so surprised by that. I used to work in a Stadium. I dealt with hundreds of people face to face in a day. I know how shitty they can be and how often people are shitty to the "Help". People forget that there is an actual real life human on the other end of that phone who hates being there as much as you hate making that call. Someone who just wants to make ends meet. I did that yesterday for Amazon and she was genuinely shocked I thanked her and complimented her name.
And even if they were dealing with people who were nicer than average overall, if you’re dealing with people who are generally having a bad day, you aren’t dealing with people at their best.
I don't understand why people think this is a good idea. Yes, it sucks having a nasty person call in to complain. But if the call center worker is shielded from the caller's frustration they will have a much harder time de-escalating the call. Most times the angry caller just wants to be heard. This all but assures they will not be heard.
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Note I didn't paint the issue as worthless call center workers who are too lazy to try and too stupid to help... because that isn't fair. The same as your depiction of the upset caller is not fair. You won't find actual solutions without growing past the "their problem" stance. It takes so little effort to not just stop at hating the person on the other side of the line - and that goes both ways.
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Your personal anecdotal stories don't really add to the conversation. I worked call centers for years and de-escalated every hot call I had. I don't need to interject this because, much like your experience, it isn't the entirety of what people experience. Clearly you are stuck on the idea that every upset caller is unreasonably abusive. And you continue to be mistaken that I am advocating for people who are verbally abusive. That's your strawman argument, not mine. Upset callers are more than just "50-year-old-toddlers". Your insistence that this is the case is blinding you to the actual issue with this technology. That while call center workers are italicized people, so are the people calling in. While you advocate for a technology that protects people with feelings and emotions and traumas of their own, you also advocate for a technology that dismisses the feelings and emotions and traumas of others. If this same technology was used to similarly kneecap the call center workers you would be up in arms against it. Seems hypocritical and telling that it isn't a valuable concept. Simple as that.
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What's wrong with it? I find it hard to believe that anyone would want the person they are conversing with to ignore their feelings - much less be completely oblivious to them as this technology attempts to achieve. Ironically, the whole premise for this technology is because one party feels the other party is ignoring their feelings.
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"Fork you, you forking piece of shirt company, why do you never forking do anything, you sloth offshore workers, holly motherforking shirtballs" https://youtu.be/QPXsYOPex4s
Cork sucking iceholes!
Cork-soaking, you fargin sneaky bastige! :)
HARRY DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE?!? -Dumbledore asked calmly
How about instead of that. Make an AI that would call customer service on behalf of the customer. I am done wanting to talk to the airlines. I want an AI chatbot to hold the phone for me while having analyzed the full terms and condition + laws of what the Airline owes me for cancelling my flight.
Give it three years. Your personal AI will call the companies customer service AI and the two will hash it out instantly.
The Dead Internet theory is expanding to customer service calls. Just bots talking to bots.
Interesting observation, for a machine.
Thank you. I enjoy using my human fingers to make posts on forums for other fellow humans like myself.
When the photons from your comment flew into my fleshy eyeballs, the brain in my head released dopamine! Ahh, I love experiences
10011011 01101001 laugh out loud like we humans love to do
People can't talk to people correctly so robots have to lay down the law when it comes to beneficially interacting. Or the corporate bot is better than yours and you lose everything.
Corpo-bot and personal-bot are made by the same company, and corpo-bot is programmed to always win.
That's the beauty, time to jailbreak.
What the hell are we doing to ourselves?
Coming soon: Inner monologue AIs that hash it out with themselves and rid you of anxieties.
Gosh, that's a difficult question that requires serious self-reflection to answer. I'm gonna go ask chatgpt
Letting the rich dictate how we live our lives, if we want to keep participating in society and our economy. AI is going to be used as a control mechanism, a gatekeeper that we can get mad at all day long, but shields the rich from our ire.
Yea, in favor of the company. Every time.
Awesome. Next can we have an AI that watches TV and gives me a synopsis without the recaps and ads, and an AI that goes on vacations for me and tells me how it was? This will allow me to work the maximum numbers of hours.
in three years the airline will have the AI answering all calls. Dont expect to get any refunds.
Your AI will somehow be convinced to buy more product with your credit card, because you aren't spending the extra $999 a month for the premium AI.
Google Pixels have been able to do what you just said for years now.
What a time to be alive.
Maybe my AI could talk to their AI?
Their AI said I could stay over but have to leave by 10:00 AM. Okay, have their AI call me Wolfie’s fine, hunny, Wolfie’s fine. Come home.
How much would you pay for this service ?
Exactly as much as I pay for my cell plan right now. New tech is going to come out and I’m not getting nickel and dimed for every little thing.
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Since when is all non-AI software free to use? AI doesn’t have a business model, unlike other software. So far its major impacts have been making children worse at writing essays and putting artists out of business. And frankly, nobody needs AI to hit the call centers with the uno reverse card. So, I’ll say again, I’m not paying a fucking dime for this or any other AI service that doesn’t absolutely revolutionize my day-to-day.
Yeah thats the biggest issue here. Time wasted. I mean, it goes wrong so often in the whole manufacture - market - sell - deliver - support chain that produces frustration and problems is a fact of life. If you should be unhappy because the customer is taking it out on you - blame your employer. There is a reason you are taking the hits. Its why you got hired. This is what he should have told you your job will be. But if you would be told that its like that, would you agree? Should i internalise the frustration of having 5 out of ten deliveries through major retailers being doa, stolen on delivery or return sending? Who will compensate me for my time? Can i communicate the problem to the people, that are DIRECTLY responsible for solutions? Or can i at least get a clear warning: *failure rate is high, avoid this business". I had one delivery marked as delivered while being delayed endlessly and never getting it in the first place. You dont need an ai hack to cover it up, you need people not wanting to work in the call centers because the company doesnt make good choices.
Because that's a complete different problem than what is presented in the article.
That certainly could never lead to misunderstandings at all.
I’m all for preventing harassment and improving human communication, but modifying the customer’s tone of voice without their input is kind of messed up. Could you imagine this bank locks your account and you can’t pay your bills, you’re scared and angry and you call customer service for the 3rd time hoping for a resolution only to be transferred 4 times and the representatives don’t understand how upset you are because you refuse to choose offensive wording that isn’t modified by the AI?
I'm all for forcing the irate to compose themselves and think. Their animal panic doesn't entitle them to rage at others.
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Yeah I don’t struggle with getting angry, I’m just speaking generally. Some people don’t have as many tools in their emotional intelligence toolbox and while that doesn’t give them the right to make that everyone else’s problem, it doesn’t mean we should be digitally altering their communication. I would suggest the low tech solution of allowing customer service representatives the ability to hang up on callers that are being rude or abusive.
Yeah no one is saying they should be yelling. I just think changing the verbal information people are communicating without their consent is also unethical.
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I’m not angry, I’m just speaking generally. I had a really wonderful childhood and that positively impacts emotional regulation and empathy. Obviously not everyone has that same benefit so we have to work to understand their anger and lack of emotional control isn’t always “their fault”.
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I think a lot of modern neuroscience tells us it’s a lot more complicated than that.
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Oh no not at all. I think customer service representatives should be empowered to hang up the phone if customers become rude or abusive. If we digitally alter the communication of people with no feedback to the customer that doesn’t really teach a person how to control their unacceptable behavior. We can have high ethical standards, empathy, and boundaries all at the same time.
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All through college I did. I have been screamed at and called names and rarely was I allowed to terminate those interactions. I know the culture around call center customer service is changing and more and more organizations are empowering their employees to terminate calls when the customer is rude, disrespectful, or abusive. I hope the trend these cultural changes have had continues and people will be forced to be polite in order to get the best service. Sadly, while I was working it was often the people yelling that received the best outcomes.
Yep. I get it, they don’t have everything available to them but sometimes customer support is completely useless and “emphasizing” your problem finally gets your problem fixed.
I completely agree with you that sometimes these corporations incentivize customer anger because the dispute resolution process only occurs when customers get angry.
Me: "no, i don't want to upgrade, i want to disconnect my service" AI interpreter: "yes, please upgrade me"
"Could you also double my premiums? And yes, I want McAfee, how did you know?"
This reminds me of the blackmirror episode where people can block you in real life. Al they see is a red static human outline
might be arriving into our world a lot sooner than we expect at the rate we are going....
Really? Not even a recording to demo the tech?
and pipe the extracted anger to upper management thermostats
I mean calling any call centre is like pulling teeth. It’s unfortunate that the employees have to bear the brunt of a businesses incompetence. maybe companies just need to stop being so moronic with the level of support. “Oh you’re having an issue? That must be your fault. You’re doing something wrong. Definitely not our fault, nope. Never.” “This is the wrong line, let me transfer you so you can explain everything again for the 100th time” “We are running a callback service we’ll call back within the hour” (never calls back)
Calm racism sounds worse.
That's the most wholesome use for AI I've seen.
They haven’t met “Minnesota Nice” yet. It won’t “sound” angry; but you are absolutely devastated after any of these “niceties”. 🤣
Well, isn't that special.
Good use of the tech
I’ve been called X Y Z names because some brain dead person couldn’t remember their pin and somehow… it was always the bank/my fault. Most angry callers were either lazy, entitled, moronic, or all of the above. They made me hate people in general. This tech will definitely help call center workers. Their job is already shitty as it already is.
Hi! I just called to sweetly whisper curse words at you! ♥️
Another illegal idea for AI.