So what are the problems I have. People talk too quickly. I would like people to talk slower and then they have more precise diction. I get upset when somebody answers the phone with rapid fire speech and I'm not too sure if I even have the right number. I have to ask the person to repeat. You can ask some people to slow down and they get it and keep their speech at a slower rate. Some just can't adjust the rate of speech. Some people are probably a little nervous on the phone and become tense and the rate keeps up.
Some people will not talk into the receiver so they are not loud enough to be heard. Their volume goes up and down.
Some people use a speakerphone and you get too much echo for consistent sound. My daughter tends to use the speakerphone when she calls so they can both get in on the conversation.
Many call centers use headsets and they are very poor as the mike gets too far away from their mouth.
Sometimes there's too much background noise to hear the caller very well. I had a friend who lived very close to a railway track. Sometimes the train was going by when I would try to speak to Lloyd. It was impossible.
Some of the little cell phones are extremely cheap so the voice reproduction is poor. Last night I had a call from somebody who sounded as if they were at the bottom of a well.
Sometimes there's too much noise in my house. That's one I can handle myself. SHUT UP! I sometimes say give me a second to turn the radio off.
Sometimes you find a very long recording of options to choose from. By the time I get to the end I forget the number I should have chosen. Large stores are bad for this one. Home Depot or Walmart are bad. In fact, Walmart's phone system is just all bad.
The recording that bugs me the most is to my doctor's office. There's a long recording. Half of it I cannot hear. The voice is weak and I'm sure gum is being chewed as she's making the recording. Why do they always choose the poorest voice to make the tape.
So there's my rant. I hope that some call system might see my rant and have a session with their employees. Fat chance though! Call centers are just happy to find people to answer phones.
How about you? Do you find it difficult to follow things on the phone?
i hate calling a restaurant or business and they rattle off the name so quickly, you're not even sure what they said or who you called. :) i'm with you on cell phones. they're very iffy. as for doctor's office, i love the one recorded at mine. i really believe it is my own doctor's voice (out of 5 that share that practice plus all their staff) and he speaks clearly as can be. everytime i call their office, i get a smile because i'm sure it is dr. parker. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, there are times I very awkwardly ask who answered.
DeleteSome people don't even pretend to speak English! Those are the ones I cannot understand. I have asked for their Supervisor so I could get someone with English skills. My husband has a hard time hearing female voices on the phone, most of the time he asks them to speak up...you would think that IF they were properly trained that wouldn't happen.
ReplyDeleteRant away:)
I didn't mention accents or just limited language skills.
DeleteI have to stop my daughter every little bit to tell her that her mouth isn't close enough to her phone. I find myself a lot of the time straining to hear. When my hearing goes bad I don't know what I will do. :)
ReplyDeleteSome of the cell phones are so small that it's hard to keep your mouth close to the mic.
DeleteOh it seems I am always asking to slow down cause I can't follow or hear them. Seems everyone is in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who has trouble with rapid speech.
DeleteNow that you mention it, my daughter often calls from her hands-free car phone with my granddaughter who is in the back seat. I have the worst time understanding them, but that's when they have the time to talk. I'm also not liking talking to her when she should be concentrating on her driving.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately calls from people with a foreign accent is difficult for me to understand just because I'm not used to hearing it.
Some of the car systems have very poor sound quality. I try hard with accents as I was brought up in an area with many different accents.
DeleteI must be lucky as having spent years on radios talking to people who in the majority had English as a second language I have got used to deciphering gibberish.
ReplyDeleteDon't wait until the end of the options just hit the number when they get to the one you want.
Sometimes I have to go to the end to be sure which is the best choice.
DeleteI'm with you on this one, again. That and accents...
ReplyDeleteI think we're going to have to live with the accents now that many TFW's are getting permanent status.
DeleteNo, everybody talks loud in the Maritimes. ha,ha But I really hate those sales calls, where the people on the other end can barely speak English and very poor English at that. I usually set the phone down and walk away till I hear they have hung up.....and I'm tellin' ya rite now buddy, if that Ship Captain calls me one more time with that horn blarin in the background, I'm gonna hang im from the nearest tree, .......or maybe drop im off a boat, eh. ha,ha
ReplyDeleteYou might talk loud , but maritimers also speak rapidly. You need to listen to the soft western twang that is a bit drawly.
DeleteYes I do! Some people talk as if they have marbles in their mouth. I say that to my daughter all the time. "Slow down and speak clearly, please. You sound like you have marbles in your mouth."
ReplyDeleteThere oughta be some test or license for proper speech.
DeleteAh Red, I think so many of us can relate wholeheartedly to this rant! Australia is the land of mumblers. And if not mumbling speaking with their head turned away from you! I can't lip read and I'm a little deaf so neither of these is any good to me! Phones! oh Red don't get me started! Enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteBut Australians also speak rapidly! I get that point that phones are a big issue with you. Maybe someday we'll get our point across.
Deletemy cell is hard to hear when in the car or anywhere with lots of background noise.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that quality in cell phones has a long way to go.
DeleteYes and no...depends on who I am calling. I do find that TV people talk too fast sometimes. We do the rerun if both hubby and I miss it. I would hope that most answering systems use the best speaker, but where I worked, it was the one who was most willing to make the speech!
ReplyDeleteI think many of the tapes done for phones should e listened to first before they are used.
DeleteThat's funny. I just had a call to a company to reset my password because I had tried too many times with the wrong one and it locked me out. I got a woman who spoke so fast I asked her to please say it all again and more slowly, please. She had a southern accent to boot! So I understand your rant, indeed. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think we all get those callers. I guess on the other hand they would have trouble understanding me.
DeleteHi Red, This comment may be recorded for training purposes! Press 2 for another representative who can speak English! Press 3 to hear the first option again. Press 9 to turn up the volume on our end! :-) Hey, one thing is for sure ... That comment by Tex above is one of the longest I've ever seen her leave. I think you've written a perfect post here. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYou've had a little fun with menu tapes. some are just buzzar.
DeleteI know what you mean. My pet peeve is getting a series of recordings from most places - one can never talk to a real live person anymore.
ReplyDeleteOh don't get me started on that one. If you phone the RCMP you're going to get a recording!!!
DeleteCall waiting is my major gripe with phones. "This is 911. Due to a backlog of calls, we must put you on hold. If you are being attacked by zombie plot bunnies, press one. If you are witnessing a break-in at the Watergate hotel, press two. Otherwise, please hold the phone and listen to five hours of elevator music..."
ReplyDeleteCall waiting and listening to dull music would easily be a couple more posts for me.
DeleteGone are the days when one can speak to anyone direct. It is always press 1 or 2.
ReplyDeleteOur Doctors office has started that and believe me the elderly have loss them in five seconds.
As far as your servers to have something explained for your computer. Forget it. I cannot understand a word what they say.
So I agree with you Red. A lot you have mention has made sense.
Only one thing if your asking your person to slow down. It could be your having hard of hearing. My one friend said that is a sign time to get checked. They need themselves to get hearing checked. When you were younger we talked a mile a minute and we never ever thought the older person thought the same as us. Wish she or her would slow down while talking. Have a nice Sat Red.
I agree that we rarely get to speak to a live person. Now the RCMP have gone to an automated answering system. How smart is that?
DeleteIt seems that phones are getting ever smaller and often when I'm talking or listening the phone will slip in my hand a bit, making it difficult to hear. Most of my hearing issues happen when the wife and i are watching TV.
ReplyDeleteNow that they've come out with smart phones you'd think they could have better sound production.
DeleteAll of the above only double it for emphasis........Grrrrrr.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll have to do more than yell to fix this one. We have to hit them in the pocketbook.
DeleteI was using an old flip phone the other day and couldn't hear a thing. I realized that I was holding it upside down :) I have a hard time understanding people on the phone anyhow.
ReplyDeleteI'm not having too much trouble on the phone - yet... I did recently have my hearing tested, though, as I do seem to have slight hearing loss which results in trouble catching some consonants - ugh. I kind of wishing I had spent my younger years at loud clubs - at least then it might have been fun ruining my hearing.
ReplyDeleteI'm slowly getting used to talking on the cell phone- it definitely won't ever be as clear as the old land lines. My pet peeve is when someone puts me on speaker phone and I can hear the tv or radio or just even the rush of air if they are outside.
ReplyDeleteThe one that drives me the most nuts is trying to understand foreign accents on call centers when you are trying to fix the computer, the phone, or something else. They repeat the same thing the same way at the same speed as if that will make you understand, and that it's your problem that you can't.
ReplyDeleteI dislike talking on the phone! Advertisers are the worst! You ask them to slow down and they get mad. Goodbye! Ha!
ReplyDeleteCheri
I honestly hate talking on the phone, period. I would much rather either talk to people face to face, or text message. I think it's the introvert in me. And yes, sometimes I have a hard time hearing things properly on the phone! There are lots of crappy cell phones out there these days, not to mention bad phone lines. :) I do like Skype and Facetime, though!
ReplyDelete