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Telemarketers Use Emotionally Intelligent Software

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the they-feel-you dept.

eldavojohn writes "There's a new kind of software that's being used more and more. It's software that detects emotion and now it's being used in call centers. It's a $400 million industry according to Forrester Research that relies on volume, pitch and even the words & phrases being used. Are we inadvertently getting closer to software that can understand us by filling the needs of telemarketers who need to know when I'm upset that they just interrupted my dinner?"

4 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Re:trust the marketeers by phallstrom · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I dunno... I did some work for a 911 dispatch training program, part of which involved slicing up a lot of actual calls. What I was working on was for cardiac arrest calls and I found it amazing how calm some callers were.

    "My address is xyz. My husband is lying on the floor not breathing. The front door is open. We are in the bedroom. Please tell me what to do."

    Others of course were hysteric, but not all of them.

  2. My Personal Telemarketer Script by cgreuter · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Telemarketer: Hi, I'm calling from $COMPANY to offer you $DEAL.

    me: I'm not interested.

    Telemarketer: May I ask why?

    me: Because they're using telemarketing to try to sell to me.

    Telemarketer: $LAME_EXCUSE. Goodbye.

    I don't see how emotion analyzing software is gonne get them out of that.

  3. Re:They need software to tell them I'm upset? by nizo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have mental visual aids to help deal with telemarketers. Whenever I get a call from a telemarketer I automatically picture some guy beating baby seals to death. Not only does this keep me from falling for their scams, but they usually stop calling after hearing me scream, "stop beating them to death!" at the top of my lungs.

    --
    I Am My Own Worst Enemy
  4. Re:They need software to tell them I'm upset? by Alef · · Score: 3, Interesting
    This system is intended for support calls, where the customer service rep might not realize that they need to take action to prevent the loss of your business. Presumably, the system would automatically flag a manager if it calcualted that the customer was getting frustrated.

    So, essentially, the more frustrated and angry you sound, the better support you'll get...?