By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    falsified drugs
    What Are the Health Risks of Falsified Drugs?
    July 15, 2024
    chronic disease
    The Role of Compliance Packaging in Chronic Disease Management
    November 4, 2024
    How to Deal with Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work
    How to Deal with Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Social Work
    March 6, 2025
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    (Some) Docs Launch War on Overutilization
    February 19, 2012
    Ribs on BBQ
    Meat and Mortality: Does Eating Meat Decrease Your Lifespan?
    March 10, 2013
    Match Day Looms, Can Primary Care Once Again Show Gains?
    March 15, 2012
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Say the F Word if You Want to Speak to a Real Person
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > Say the F Word if You Want to Speak to a Real Person
Mobile Health

Say the F Word if You Want to Speak to a Real Person

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Voice recognition is getting there, but it’s not there yet.

The Boston Globe (Automated agent will aid enrollees in Medicare) describes Humana’s use of voice recognition technology to sign up patients for Medicare Part D drug benefit plans. The computer asks the caller a series of questions and interacts sort of like a human being. But actually, there’s a bit of Wizard of Oz involved:

Voice recognition is getting there, but it’s not there yet.

The Boston Globe (Automated agent will aid enrollees in Medicare) describes Humana’s use of voice recognition technology to sign up patients for Medicare Part D drug benefit plans. The computer asks the caller a series of questions and interacts sort of like a human being. But actually, there’s a bit of Wizard of Oz involved:

More Read

Max, Director of Business Development, Jintronix
Health Start-Ups!: Fast Track to Success – Jintronix Rehabilitation Services
Text-to-911 Availability Has Important mHealth Implications
How a New Patient Experience Model Will Drive the Future of Connected Healthcare?
6 Apple Health Apps to Help You Stay Healthy
Upcoming Webinar: Can Social Media Save Lives?

When the system needs help, it routes the question and a recording of the consumer’s answer to an agent with headphones who types in what the caller said. The agents can handle 700 questions an hour in this way, all taken out of context, said Fox.

“They only hear snippets of calls and their job is just to derive the intent of the individual portion of the calls,’’ he said. The callers never know that a person has intervened.

How would you like a job with 700 out of context questions per hour? I bet those folks must be great conversationalists with their spouses when they get home from work!

Even the contrived excerpt from the company’s PR folks made me gag. Here’s a sample of the dialog between a user “Bernard” and the computer “Interactions” as Bernard provides his name:

BERNARD: B -as in Boston. E as in Edward. R as in Ronald. N as in Nathan. A as in Ana. R as in Robert. D as in David.

INTERACTIONS: Hang on just a sec [typing noise]. I have your first name spelled B E R N A R D. Is that correct?

Call me a crotchety oldster, but that artificial “hang on just a sec” and the fake typing are ridiculous. Reminds me of the fake typing pools they used to put in the background of newscasts. Personally I’d rather talk to a computer that doesn’t pretend to be a person speaking to a moron.

Here’s my favorite part of the article:

Callers who become frustrated can get to an operator, but only if they are detected as saying a set of prompts, such as “Operator’’ or “I want to talk to someone.’’ Use of profanity, Fox noted, will also work. [emphasis mine] However it is never explained to the caller that certain words or phrases can get them to a person.

So remember, next time you want to speak with a real person, just try some bathroom language.

 


Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
Mobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: What’s Happening in mHealth in Australia

August 27, 2012
Mobile Apps in Healthcare
Mobile HealthTechnology

Mobile Medical Apps: A Game Changing Healthcare Innovation

August 12, 2018
Image
Medical InnovationsMobile HealthTechnology

Mobile Health Around the Globe: KTH Develops the BioPatch Sensor

June 24, 2013
Image
Mobile Health

Do Wearable Health Devices Actually Lead to Better Health?

July 16, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?