In the News II

Quote: AZDuffman

We already have most of that in call centers. I have done time in a call center or two and needed to call many in my job. The thing is we are not in the late 90s or even aughts. If I call in I want to talk to a human being because the self-serve options are not working. Once I did not use my credit union because when I went in to ask about a HELOC they directed me to their website. If I am talking to you now I want an answer, not direction to a website.

When you do talk to a person you need specialized help. AI is not going to be able to do that.

I expect the automated systems to be better than most humans. I don't know about others, but when I call in to a call center with a question it is rarely answered.

Quote: DRich

I expect the automated systems to be better than most humans. I don't know about others, but when I call in to a call center with a question it is rarely answered.

if you're lucky. If unlucky, they answer it with something incorrect

what a bunch of know-nothings at the chat-rooms! If you get a little deeper in things might get better

I suppose I'm exaggerating

Quote: odiousgambit

if you're lucky. If unlucky, they answer it with something incorrect

what a bunch of know-nothings at the chat-rooms! If you get a little deeper in things might get better

I suppose I'm exaggerating

These are both fair points, usually they only read off the most basic policy questions (and as you say often incorrectly -to be fair it may often be due to a language barrier as they read from the same points you can read yourself on the website- )

Honestly, if I had a general question about say a credit card rewards program, I can probably post it to this website and get a better answer than if I called the call center, just by experienced people looking at the terms and giving an overview. And, if I had some specific account issue that I needed help with and called, I would be told that some specialty team would need to review it and call me back in a few days (and then may or may not get a call back....)

I saw one of these Cybertrucks in person for the first time last night at the Houston airport. Even uglier than the photos make it look.

Quote: Gandler

Honestly, if I had a general question about say a credit card rewards program, I can probably post it to this website and get a better answer than if I called the call center, just by experienced people looking at the terms and giving an overview.

I hate calling people so before I do I will do as much research as possible. I would guess in most scenarios I already know more than the people that I am calling.

Quote: DRich

I expect the automated systems to be better than most humans. I don't know about others, but when I call in to a call center with a question it is rarely answered.

My experience is that "customer satisfaction" is talked about way more than it is actually provided. I think may reps who actually provide answers are woefully undertrained and don't have enough experience to actually handle most issues. One specific example is that it is widely accepted in the Royal Caribbean Cruise line conversations that for some things, you need to keep calling back until you get the "right" answer. It has taken me two or three calls to get what I already know id the correct answer to a question. The problem is that I know the answer but they have to adjust the bill to match the correct pricing.

Automated phone service is just as bad. It can be taught some answers but it is not ready for prime time.

I don't think it is going to get any better for a while. Maybe some version of "AI" will help the automated responses get better, but only if you phrase the question exactly in the ways the computer is taught in order to produce the right answer.

It's almost too much.

https://civitai.com/videos?tags=5241

NPR is biased...

"An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America.

That wouldn’t be a problem for an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience. But for NPR, which purports to consider all things, it’s devastating both for its journalism and its business model."

--Uri Berliner has worked at National Public Radio for 25 years

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/npr-veteran-takes-sledgehammer-to-his-current-employers-creeping-liberal-bias/

He mentioned somewhere that he did some research and found zero Republicans among the staff members he checked on.

They fired Juan Williams for being "too Conservative" so this is not really "new" news but it is significant that someone on the staff is publishing it.

"But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency."

Seems like the MO for most major news outlets.

Perhaps it is time to judge how they spend public funds allotted to them or to make them survive on private funding completely. Since they say the public funds are not all that much, they can live without them.

Quote: RonC

NPR is biased...

"An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America.

That wouldn’t be a problem for an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience. But for NPR, which purports to consider all things, it’s devastating both for its journalism and its business model."

--Uri Berliner has worked at National Public Radio for 25 years

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/npr-veteran-takes-sledgehammer-to-his-current-employers-creeping-liberal-bias/

He mentioned somewhere that he did some research and found zero Republicans among the staff members he checked on.

They fired Juan Williams for being "too Conservative" so this is not really "new" news but it is significant that someone on the staff is publishing it.

"But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency."

Seems like the MO for most major news outlets.


Perhaps it is time to judge how they spend public funds allotted to them or to make them survive on private funding completely. Since they say the public funds are not all that much, they can live without them.

You want quota for hiring?

v

Quote: RonC

NPR is biased...

Truth has a liberal bias.

Donny lost.
Vaccines work.
Global warming is real.
Nazis are bad.
Etc.

To be considered “fair” in certain people’s eyes you need to offer morons airtime presenting the other side (the wrong side) of indisputable issues.