R E L A Y

I have hard time with relay services sometimes relay services hung up on me few times. I dont use on ip-relay in website. I mostly use on relaycall in website and it is more faster than ip-relay.
 
Ahh Relays..

I admit I really hate them a lot. Since I am a deafie here, when someone calls us for job interview using my sister in law's answering machine, we call them back via relay. they freak out, they don't want to deal with relay bec they think they are scam, some ppl will set up appt for the following Friday, behold on Thursdays, they call and tell us the position is filled..

I have noticed the Relay translate the whole story totally different., i called my mom via relay for emergency.. she thought I was in hospital from car accident, I said no I only said that I need to go to the hospital because my father in law was admitted. so I don't trust relay 100 percent.

they sucks....
 
cental34 said:
This is one area, I will defend MCI on. The scripts MCI uses are perfectly clear about what relay is, what it is intended for, and how it works. We cannot make people willing to take the time to let us explain them. Yes, a good majority of people are just stupid, yes, they are inconsiderate, no relay is not rocket science. It is our job to educate businesses, but we cannot force them to listen.
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I disagree. Until the relay companies educate the businesses, they'll never listen past the words said through the "scripts MCI uses."

If there is an inherent problem on being hung up after hearing the script, they either need to be changed or someone needs to educate the businesses. Not admitting there's a problem will mean your company is too lazy and too cheap to look for a solution.

Around here, the state relay service has a "Don't Hang Up on Relay" campaign. Bumper stickers, postcards, and complaints can be entered online so that a business gets educated.

Washington State has it. Colorado has it. Oregon has it. Looks like Sprint is taking responsibility for educating businesses. I don't see MCI doing it.
 
So you're thinking an advertising campaign is the way to go? I disagree. When we place a call, we clearly state "this is a service for the deaf, hard of hearing, and speech disabled. the person calling you is using a computer/tty. that person will be typing and I will voice the conversation to you." After that, there shouldn't be anything esle needed to say. I can't help it if some pimple faced punk gets so nervous on the other line, or still thinks its a telemarketing call. Like I said, we can educate all we can, but it won't do a bit of good until people are more receptive.
 
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Actually, yes, I do believe a marketing and advertisment campaign is the way to go. No one automatically "gets" the idea behind relay services. They have to relate to it in some way -- and the first thing they think of is telemarketing. As long as we have telemarketing, businesses will always do what they're told to do when faced with what they believe is telemarketing -- HANG UP.

Until companies are aware of relay services and actually train their companies to recognize them, we will continue to be hung up on. Educating them is the first step. Relay companies need to do that instead of relying solely on the possiblility that an operator script will work. That just smacks of being lazy and profiting off of repeated calls.
 
cental34 said:
So you're thinking an advertising campaign is the way to go? I disagree. When we place a call, we clearly state "this is a service for the deaf, hard of hearing, and speech disabled. the person calling you is using a computer/tty. that person will be typing and I will voice the conversation to you." After that, there shouldn't be anything esle needed to say. I can't help it if some pimple faced punk gets so nervous on the other line, or still thinks its a telemarketing call. Like I said, we can educate all we can, but it won't do a bit of good until people are more receptive.
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The sad fact is, most hearing people do not really hear and comprehend every word that you speak over the phone. They hear what they want and expect to hear. Oh, the ears work fine, but the brain works like a filter and can distort the incoming msg. Some hearies catch the word "service" in your script and then their brain starts thinking, "uh, oh, someone wants me to pay for something." That is not what you said but that is what their brain "hears".

The service providers do need to educate the public thru PSAs and print campaigns. Also, just curious, have the Relay providers done test marketing research with their script presentations? It would be interesting to get some feedback from hearies to find out their reactions to Relay scripts. There may be ways to improve the scripts. Scripting is more than proper grammar. Effective scripting depends on the psychology of words.
 
I simply use online relay. It's easier than phone relay. I have a TTY, but I don't use it any more. I now use online relay and only had this problem happen once because this one particular business had this being abused. Now, they have a system of determining whether it's fake or not.
 
Dennis said:
Actually, yes, I do believe a marketing and advertisment campaign is the way to go. No one automatically "gets" the idea behind relay services. They have to relate to it in some way -- and the first thing they think of is telemarketing. As long as we have telemarketing, businesses will always do what they're told to do when faced with what they believe is telemarketing -- HANG UP.

Until companies are aware of relay services and actually train their companies to recognize them, we will continue to be hung up on. Educating them is the first step. Relay companies need to do that instead of relying solely on the possiblility that an operator script will work. That just smacks of being lazy and profiting off of repeated calls.
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The company is going to get less money through repeated hang ups. And we all know what I think about the companies when it comes between the company and their money. Could the scripts, and presentation be improved? Of course. Would a campaign, PSA, or something such as that hurt? No. It would help. I've seen it suggested a sort of letter drive to mail out information to relay. Keep in mind the thought that this is a telemarketing call is not always the motive for the person to hang up. Many businesses are well aware of scams, and refuse to accept any calls, others, do not know any deaf people or are confused why a deaf person would be calling them. But I simply believe that it is the term's own fault for hanging up. At the first sign of them thinking its a telemarketing call, we are quick to correct them. I will usually snap back "operator here, I am not selling anything," or "operator here, this is not a telemarketing call. You are receiving a call from someone who may be deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled."
 
Reba said:
The sad fact is, most hearing people do not really hear and comprehend every word that you speak over the phone. They hear what they want and expect to hear. Oh, the ears work fine, but the brain works like a filter and can distort the incoming msg. Some hearies catch the word "service" in your script and then their brain starts thinking, "uh, oh, someone wants me to pay for something." That is not what you said but that is what their brain "hears".
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exactly.

Also, just curious, have the Relay providers done test marketing research with their script presentations? It would be interesting to get some feedback from hearies to find out their reactions to Relay scripts. There may be ways to improve the scripts. Scripting is more than proper grammar. Effective scripting depends on the psychology of words.
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As far as I know, no. I was actually just thinking about that today. Kind of life finding demographics, and testing to see what works best, but the only scripted calls I know of are corporate monitors, in which a member of management will place a staged call to someone, and evaluate our call processing skills. *Sigh* The company really does need to take alittle of their focus off us, and more on the customers.
 
CoolieFroggie said:
I dont' know if this a re-post then put it up with me!


so tell me your experience with any place with relay hung up on u.
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My boyfriend hung up on me! Thought I was a salesperson. :roll:
 
Oh Yes, I get hung-up all the time, by the time the Relay had explain to the other caller what is Ohio Relay or what is Ip-Relay, The other callers are thinking that Ip-Relay or Ohio Relay are advertising something. I would get a respond much as "No Thanks," "I don't want anything," or "I don't have time for this right now" I would keep calling back, Once I've got threaten that Pizza Hut would call the police on me if I kept calling back and told me I was hassling them. I said How am I hassling you? I was only placing an order! By the time I even respond with what I've said above I get hung-up. That's when I get in my car and drive over there and give them a piece of my mind.

You know what bugs me so much is that we are deaf, we don't get the same equal rights when it comes to calling through any relay service and we get hung ups by ignorant hearing people who doesn't have a time of the day to just listen to the explanation of what is relay service? Hearing people can just pick up the phone and dial out a number and do not get hung up by businesses, but we do.

Don't you think that people in the business should be train to expect a call that is from a relay service, that way when anyone picks up the phone they would be aware what relay is for.

Something needs to be change or otherwise, we are going to experience the more hung-ups from businesses.
 
cental34 said:
When we place a call, we clearly state "this is a service for the deaf, hard of hearing, and speech disabled. the person calling you is using a computer/tty. that person will be typing and I will voice the conversation to you." .
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I like that statement better! :thumb: Ohio Relay do not say that, They would say to the other caller "Are you familiar with Ohio Relay?" and the caller would respond much as "Huh?", "What?" or "I don't have time right now because I'm really busy here, Call back later."


I don't like how they ask the callers this, I would rather to have Ohio Relay to tell the other callers that "This is Ohio Relay service with a call from a hearing impaired person or a deaf person." That makes it a lot easier than asking "Are you familiar with Ohio Relay?"
 
Reba said:
Also, just curious, have the Relay providers done test marketing research with their script presentations?
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From what I've been told, people who use relay don't WANT to be identified as deaf or hard of hearing on the relay call -- they don't want to be discriminated against, for example, when they're calling back about a job interview. They don't want to reveal their disability.

There's also the possibility that the person isn't deaf or hard of hearing -- they can be speech disabled. A speech disabled person doesn't want to be identified as deaf by the relay service.
 
Cheri said:
I like that statement better! :thumb: Ohio Relay do not say that, They would say to the other caller "Are you familiar with Ohio Relay?" and the caller would respond much as "Huh?", "What?" or "I don't have time right now because I'm really busy here, Call back later."


I don't like how they ask the callers this, I would rather to have Ohio Relay to tell the other callers that "This is Ohio Relay service with a call from a hearing impaired person or a deaf person." That makes it a lot easier than asking "Are you familiar with Ohio Relay?"
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:Oops: I meant to say that is the script used when the person says they do not know how to use relay. Our greeting is "IP Relay Operator XXXX with a relay call. Do you know how to use relay." I can't count the number of times when people act like that can't hear me.

"Hello"
"IP Relay Opera...."
"Hello"
"IP RELAY OPERATOR XX!..."
"Hello"
"IP RELAY OPERATOR 1970 WITH A RELAY CALL. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO USE RELAY!!!!!?"
"Oh, yeah."

But keep in mind, you can tell the operator to announce relay however you want. At the beginning of the call, just ask them not to announce relay, and type out what you want them to say.
 
what i had noticed with hearing people don't like deal with relay cuz they don't want to wait and wait for the deaf to respond cuz it's very slow.....so i don't know cuz im not hearnig or anything like that..

again.. they shouldn't have to relay about thier service.. simply this is (your name) and blah blah blah.. If they get suspectious that's not you.. so it would be give them a hint that a relay service to help.. that's only way to work for everybody..

but sad.. i notice alot of females work for relay if a male want call relay and found nothing for male.. so it would be hard but i don't know how it works.
 
good point coolie, cuz i have male operators taking my call for me and they have identifed me as a male calling like * tell him* im like excuse me please talk in the first person and by the way i'm a female :) this makes them go uhh sorry sorry didn't mean to and then i would do this can u please hold one moment ( OPR change to female ASAP thank you) and they do that under 30 seconds and take over the call if they don't belive me so this helps somewhat... but i agree the tactic of annoucing who u are can create problems so result of that now that i have my captel i use that more and if i want to record a call then i l just use the relay to save my calls for records thats how i do things here
 
cental34 said:
Operators' accents are not a problem. Ask you family and friends that you call through relay. See what they tell you. And are you suggesting that people your relay call is a Nigerian because they hear an accent on the operator? Again, I don't follow. I've been on all ends of relay, as the voice, the text, and the operator, and have never heard of this problem.
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Sorry, but I beg to differ. I think there are a good number of relay operators hired that do have an accent. Case in point -- we moved last month and due to a delay in connecting our phone service, I had to make all calls via the internet for 2 weeks (I used both IP Relay and Sprint Relay). Several of the calls I made were to my parents, and the next time I saw them in person (and after our phone service was connected and able to use the Captel instead) Mom commented, "I am so glad you don't have to call us through the relay. Every single call you made to us was from operators with heavy accents, I could barely understand what they were saying." Mom is an open-minded person and non-discriminating, so I know she wasn't discriminating against those operators with an accent -- I just found it interesting that she said that about EVERY single relay call she got from me during that 2 week period. **I am not saying all relay operators have an accent, in fact, most probably don't, but I do think there are a number who do.**
 
wow!! same here, it happened to me, i called beauty shop and woman keep on hang up on me so i got pissed off then i drove over there place, and talked to the boss and boss called woman to came , he asked her abt it.. she say not accpeted the relay and gave him attituded so he fired her.. so he gave me free color hair and style cut...
 
My friend hung up on relay once because he thought it was a call from a prison LOL!! :nono:
 
AlleyCat said:
Sorry, but I beg to differ. I think there are a good number of relay operators hired that do have an accent. Case in point -- we moved last month and due to a delay in connecting our phone service, I had to make all calls via the internet for 2 weeks (I used both IP Relay and Sprint Relay). Several of the calls I made were to my parents, and the next time I saw them in person (and after our phone service was connected and able to use the Captel instead) Mom commented, "I am so glad you don't have to call us through the relay. Every single call you made to us was from operators with heavy accents, I could barely understand what they were saying." Mom is an open-minded person and non-discriminating, so I know she wasn't discriminating against those operators with an accent -- I just found it interesting that she said that about EVERY single relay call she got from me during that 2 week period. **I am not saying all relay operators have an accent, in fact, most probably don't, but I do think there are a number who do.**
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My friend told me the same thing. He said he could hardly understand several of the operators on IP Relay.
 
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