New Phones

I’m sure many people can relate to this:

The other morning we cut over to our ultra new phone system. Needless to say, a great deal of confusion reigned. Calls coming in for one extension got connected to another extension, and no one was quite sure how to handle it. We now have a phone that operates like a computer!

Pity the poor woman re-entering the business world, even after only a few short years. Answering the phone is no longer a simple task. We have all kinds of wonderful additions like conference calls, call transfer, recall, consult, leave word, and those are just a few.

And your everyday words like phone and extension are becoming obsolete in favor of “Voice Activator” (phone) and “Appearance” (extension). My instruction manual, which is supposed to provide me with some clarity, is written in “DOUBLESPEAK.”

I’m beginning to wonder if one day my phone will jump off my desk when I’ve gone to lunch and type a letter on command. I’ve been lucky so far today; I only had to put my calls on hold. But pity the poor caller who needs to be transferred.

CHARLOTTE GUBERNIK

Tarzana