[LINK] Lost in the Blue Mountains

[grove at zeta.org.au]

On Wed, 20 May 2009, Scott Howard wrote:

>
> IMHO these calls absolutely need to be scripted.  If they aren't scripted,
> then things get missed.
>
> What is needed is for the scripts to be flexible enough to handle the
> situations they were not explicitly designed for, and/or to allow the
> ability to break out of the script when these situations occur (with
> relevant training for the operators to know when to break the script)
>
> The ambulance call centre scripts may well put a high emphasis on getting
> the address from the caller, but if 99.99% of all calls they receive do have
> a standard address then this makes sense.  What is important is that for the
> remaining 0.01% of calls there is a way for both the operator and the system
> to understand that "half-way between Narrow Neck and the Ruined Castle" is a
> valid "address" when you're lost bushwalking in the Blue Mountains.

Furthermore, the process through which applicants for the role of 
operator go through probably isn't scanning on the qualities of 
empathy or compassion.

In many cases, call centre ops are on a clock.   If they run into 
what ever is deemed to be an "overtime" call, this can be logged 
by their supervisor.   The operational method of the call centre 
is based on jobs completed in smallest time, not human values.

In the end, a call centre is an excellent example of why economic rationalism
and globalisation is bad - in a microcosm.


rachel

-- 
Rachel Polanskis                 Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia
grove at zeta.org.au                http://www.zeta.org.au/~grove/grove.html
We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with
knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness.
- Tom Waits