Lacking the human touch
In which the writer muses on the value of an automated thank you.
If you have a telephone you’ve probably received a robo-call.
They come in all shapes and flavors — scams, polls, advertising — and usually at inopportune moments like dinner time or when you’re on the second floor of the house and the phone is on the first.
And if you’re a generous person who donates to charitable causes, you may well have also received a personal thank you. A member of staff, or a volunteer, phones “just to say thank you” and reiterate how much your gift means to the organization and furthers its good work.
Well, today I had a mash-up of the two in one call, and (spoiler alert) I don’t think it had the effect that its user intended.
It came at lunch time (of course). The recording identified the speaker as the volunteer Chair of the Board of Directors of a mental health charity that I whole-heartedly support — including with a financial gift every year.
The recording provided contact information (the agency’s phone and email) and then thanked me for my gift. “I wanted to personally thank you for helping us to create hope”, the recording said. Then it wished me happy holidays, and hung up.
