Get Human!

Seems this past week has been the ultimate in phone frustration. Trying to navigate through endless menus to finally speak to a real, live, breathing person with blood and progesterone and all that human stuff running through them is as close to an impossible task as I ever want to get. Yes, it is frustrating.

At some point during the week, I recalled a website I’d seen a while ago listing the correct numbers to key into the phone in order to get a real live human. A little searching through my bookmarks turned up Get Human. (Novel name, eh?)

The GetHuman 500 database lists various categories beginning with Automotive and ending with tv/satellite. Whether you’re trying to talk to someone from an insurance company, a pharmacy, or the us government, check Get Human first to see if there’s a shortcut to a living representative.

But Get Human is more than just a database of information on how to get a human rep on the phone. It’s a volunteer organization committed to seeing companies adopt a specific Standard for their phone systems. Anyone can help to grade the companies listed. Better yet, join the discussion group and find out what else you can do to make the database even better. And even though you’ll want to keep checking back to the list and participate in the discussion group, you can also print the entire list to keep near you phone for quick reference.

Now be sure to let the Get Human folks know if you discover a way to get through a company’s phone support system. Get Human gets better as more humans get involved.