In the commercial whirl that is IT, we get to interact with all sorts of organizations, and despite e-mail we still have to use the telephone to deal with them.

Sometimes we come away from these calls happy and satisfied, but these days it seems we more often come away with visions of poking the person we were just talking to with a sharp pencil.

Reader Bob Hayes wrote a while ago with an example of a scoring system (see Gibbsblog) he uses to rate support calls, so I thought I'd take a shot at my own system.

At the start of each call the company gets zero points. Then add and subtract points as follows:

Add one point if the phone is picked up within three rings. Subtract one point if it takes more than eight rings. Subtract five points if the line is busy. Subtract 1,000 points if the number is no longer in service.

Add one point if a human answers. Subtract one-half point if it is an interactive voice response (IVR) system. Subtract two points if the IVR's voice sounds like Minnie Mouse crossed with a really happy cheerleader. Subtract one point if the IVR tells you that your call may be recorded for quality-control or training purposes. If there is no option to not be recorded, subtract 10 points.

Subtract one point if the first thing the person says is "Please hold," and without waiting for you to answer puts you on hold. Subtract three points if the person asks, "Can you hold?" and without waiting for an answer, puts you on hold. Subtract five points if the person takes you off hold and immediately puts you back on hold. Subtract one point for each second on hold.

Subtract one point if there is music on hold. Add one point if they give you the option of turning off the music. Subtract one-half point for each of the following music attributes: 1. too loud; 2. distorted; 3. country music; 4. there are breaks in music for self-promotions.

Subtract three points if the person or IVR tells you that you have to call another number for the service you want. Subtract 1,000 points if the other number is wrong, busy or discontinued.

If it is an IVR system, subtract three points if you have to listen to a long menu of choices and the IVR won't let you enter your selection until it finishes. Subtract 10 points if the choice you're looking for and what you are offered are completely different.

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