Telephones.

[barakta]

If you received a call at home or work where when you picked up the handset you got told the following in a computerised voice.

"Welcome to BT TextDirect please hold for connection"

Then a few seconds later...

"Connecting Typetalk"What would you do

Comments

[_44l]

2...just cos I'm a curious little person :)

[kimble]

I thought you were a house?

[_44l]

*giggles*

I am...girl just insisted on using me :(

[kimble]

Neither would your average Catbert, by the look of it... :/

[abigailb]

Not sure. I tend to take a dim view of machines phoning me then asking me to wait (which is what it would appear to be from that message).

[barakta]

I agree. The situation above is what you would get if a deaf person called you using a textphone via BT's relay service BT TextDirect Typetalk (convoluted name or what?).

I agree the message is ambiguous and I believe that BT are aware of this, but have been unable to come up with an unambiguous message which people do not hang up on.

I hate machines phoning people and believe it should be illegal except for TypeTalk who will connect an operator once the call is connected (saves all their waiting for ringing/engaged tone crap). Not that things being illegal stopped spamming swine.

The wait isn't very long, but it can be a few seconds depending upon if an operator is available quickly or not. If I used the number where I get an operator before the call I have to pay 0870 rates for the call :(

The number I called was for the Sheffield Central Library - their personnel dept to change an interview date. One would hope that they would know better *snerk*.

[abigailb]

I think that to have any hope of success, the message needs to explain what it is doing immediately, (and bluntly) - something like "Hello. A deaf person has attempted to call you with BT TextDirect. If you wish to recieve the call, please hold on."

[barakta]

I agree.

Now if I could come up with sensible wording I would consider sending excerpts of this threat to TypeTalk and seeing what they say. I may well ask each commenter permission to do that.

Of course some places do hang up on deaf people - callcentres are particularly evil cos they don't want to spend 60% extra time on a deaf person cos it'll fuck up their sales rep. Now I'd argue taking a call from a deaf person or someone who speaks bad english or something should garner them extra points for PR if nothing else. Not to mention basic dignitity oh and Disability Discrimination Act stuff ;)

Natalya

[bethanthepurple]

2.
If it happened 6+ times back to 1.
What happened?

[barakta]

Interesting that you would try it once and then of course the call would have been connected.

That is what you would have got had I called you via typetalk the relay service between a textphone user (often deaf) and standard voicephone users.

I am surprised so many people hang up and don't give it a chance to connect. I would probably hold the line once to see what was going on especially as it says BT in the name.

The number I called was for Sheffield Central Libraries (their personnel dept) so I could rearrange an interview. I had to get kimble to ring them in voice and tell them that I had been trying to get through and were they hanging up.

Me thinks the library service need educating and therefore should give me a job!

[bethanthepurple]

ehe, yay!
Hm. Stoopid libraries though. Good luck with the interview \o/

[barakta]

Thank you. I had one last week, but I think I stuffed up the computer test ironically cos my ability to use MS products at speed isn't great.

Oh well, I hope I get one of these jobs.

Natalya

[barakta]

Fair enough. I redialled 3 times and got hung up on each occasion.

I figure Sheffield Library Service needs educating about answering calls from textphone users who are using TypeTalk.

It took kimble to ring them in voice and ask them not to hang up on me for me to get through to them *stab*.

Natalya

[chiv]

I hate to say it but if you hadn't introduced me to it I'd have assumed that textdirect was some sort of mobile SMS service.
BT may have done plenty to advertise it to those who need the service but have done sweet FA to advertise to those on the receiving end.
A basic TV + Radio + Cinema ad campaign just to familiarise people with it would probably solve most of the problem, at least in larger companies.

[barakta]

Problem is that they do sometimes mention it in BT spam, but most people ignore it.

Education is the way forward and it should be part of 'disability awareness' training for all organisations.

Natalya