By Steve Levy
Nothing is more frustrating than calling your local government for assistance and wasting hours trying to talk to a robot that can’t respond to your needs.
How many times do you have to yell at the top of your lungs, “REPRESENTATIVE! REPRESENTATIVE! REPRESENTATIVE!” before you can get a human being?
We have to put up with this nonsense when dealing with our banks, credit card companies and other private entities. But that shouldn’t be the case for a government funded with our tax dollars.
When I was County Executive, I took great pride in constituent service, and that meant having a friendly human being on the other end of a phone line who could quickly guide you to the answers you needed.
Just because something is newer, doesn’t mean it’s better
Today, it’s almost impossible to be able to apply for something with a piece of paper and just send it in the mail. Sometimes, it’s even impossible to pay for a government application fee with a check. You have to spend hours navigating their horrible electronic system. If you get stuck on one question, you’re jammed and can’t proceed. It becomes a nightmare.
The Suffolk Legislature heard testimony this week from the Consumer Affairs Division, which is rolling out a new AI program that greets callers. Legislators should stop this in its tracks and require that the government have human beings answer their constituents. That’s why we’re paying our taxes.
They might claim that it’s saving time and money, which it’s not. It’ll ultimately cost the county more money. And there’s no doubt it costs time and money for the constituent on the other end of the phone call who gets exceedingly frustrated by being stuck with a robot for what seems forever.