Press 1 if you’ve ever been trapped by automated phone services…

 I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been there…

This last week I have been fighting the ‘automated’ phone system to try and get resolution to my inability to log into my 401K account. 

I call the number listed for customer support.  I am then taken through a string of automated steps.

Press 1 for English

To access this system you need to enter:

• the last 4 digits of your SS#
• BD listed as day day month month year year year year.
• zip code.

Then another prompting: press 1 for….. 

There are 6 callers ahead of you with an estimated wait time of 29 mins.  If you would like the system to call you back press 1…

And another automated process to verify my name and number. 

I FINALLY get to speak to someone on the phone and she tells me she can’t do anything, I need to go online and reset my account- or the call is disconnected and I go through the entire process again.  

I made approximately 6 attempts to get my account reset so I can log in….with no avail.  To this day I still cannot access my account.

Can you relate?  

I think about the days before automated services replaced speaking to an actual human.  

I become curious: 

• Are there just too many humans to keep up with the demand?  I thought Covid helped with this… lol
• Is it merely to save a dollar?
• How do we get back to our time being valued by these super companies?  

Don’t get me wrong- sometimes the automated services are fabulous, but in my experience they often are not.  Leaving me feeling frustrated, inpatient and unable to get my needs met.  

Throughout it all I try to be kind, patient and respectful.  I have been know to cross the line to disrespect after repeated failed attempts to get help.  In a recent interaction, I was told by a much younger family member that I was too nice and I needed to ‘let them have it’ to get my needs met. Though this individual insisted this was the ‘only way’ to be heard, I reinforced that this is not the person I wanted to show up as. I continued being respectful but firm, and in the end I did get my needs met.  

Is this a generational perspective or somewhere along the way have we been programmed into thinking this way?

Has showing up as the ‘Karen’ earned respect when otherwise it wasn’t granted?

At the end of the day how I show up to people matters to me.  Even if I lose my temper, from time to time, I always have an opportunity to reset and refocus.