Question

Read the following passage. Then answer the questions that follow.

Automated to Death
by Teresa R. Herlinger

I want to lodge a complaint, but I sure
won't call Customer Service to do it. I've
found myself stuck in never-ending
voicemail loops quite enough lately, thank
you.

Just as computers haven't reduced our
mountains of paper, the latest in telephone
technology has done the opposite of
improving communication between people.
All we've really done is proven the
inefficiency of "automation" when it comes
to complex humans with our sophisticated
needs.
Continued...

Answer 1

How many times have you felt left
out by a list of voicemail choices? "Please
choose one of the following five
options . . ." All of humanity cannot be
lumped into five neat categories.

Sadly, in our rush to fully automate,
we're paying an even higher price than
inefficiency. Our daily business
transactions have become devoid of
anything personal or human. Recently, I
made an unsettling discovery: I can go
through an entire day, even a week, of
working (at home on my computer),
shopping, and taking care of business
without ever talking to a single human being. Phone technology—computerized
voices, automated options—doesn't put us
in touch; it cuts us off from humanity.

Here's another major grievance of
mine: the total lack of originality. No matter
the type of business, all automated options
sound exactly the same. Too bad the guy
who came up with the idea of automated
options didn't get a patent. He'd be rich
now for this line alone: "All of our
representatives are currently assisting
other customers." How often in the last
week have you had to listen to that line?

I'm not advocating the return of the
busy signal—that would drive most of us
batty with our addictive need to reach
people at any time of the day or night. No,
I'm just asking for a little creativity—a little
of what makes us human. Dare to deviate
from the outgoing messages of other
businesses, and offer me a voicemail
option to make my day: "If you'd like to
bypass our entire spiel—since you've
heard it all before—please press the star
key to speak to a live human (unless he's
stepped out to go to the bathroom, in which
case he'll be right back)."


Read the sentence from the passage.

“All we've really done is proven the inefficiency of ‘automation’ when it comes to complex humans with our sophisticated needs.”

Explain how the author’s use of the phrase “complex humans” influences the reader. Use information from the passage to support your explanation.