Review: Direct Line

Direct Line v1 | Published by Michael Schneider | Via App Store | $0.99 | Released: 8-28-08

Overview

Direct Line helps you bypass automated telephone support systems by quickly getting you in contact with a human representative. If you’re frustrated by the idea of calling customer care phone numbers and braving the fake hospitality of those blasted recorded voices, this app may just be your godsend.

Functionality

Direct Line will usually take less than 30 seconds to get you into the hold queue for talking to a real person. It can, however, take much longer depending on the company you’re calling and the nature of its automated phone system (more on this later). To make calls, users select from a preloaded list of company names, although Apple’s is not included (the developer said he did not want to risk the survival of his app by including Apple’s information and somehow ruffling Steve Jobs’ feathers). Once a company name has been selected, like 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, for example, Direct Line will immediately dial its number, then a series of satisfying tones can be heard, cutting off recorded messages and—after a miraculous 14 seconds in this case—will have you making flower orders and blushing without any residual frustration from making verbal responses to a machine.

Review

Despite my skepticism, Direct Line was frequently a pleasant surprise. Again and again the app put me in touch with a human in seconds, whereas on my own I would have often been lost for minutes in automated systems. But while the app can be impressive, it does encounter some problems when facing menus that can’t be skipped. This is more the fault of the phone number being called and that company’s rigid system than of the app, but the situation can suck nevertheless. When calling AT&T with Direct Line, for example, it took me three minutes to get into the hold queue for speaking to a real person. This is because AT&T’s system forces users through repeated language selection and account number prompts that can’t be circumnavigated. Direct Line’s approach to such situations is silence, as waiting through these menus will prompt the system to assume that you’re an incompetent fool and need more options, options that the app can then bypass.

Still, the maze of menus and added waits for stubborn automated requests took a while. In cases like this, it may seem faster to just choose a language, then type in your account number and proceed on your own, but doing so would abandon Direct Line’s settings and would bring on a face-off with those infamous recorded devils of the customer service world. Although a reluctant attempt at taking on the menus, entering my information and then repeatedly hitting the zero key did get me to the customer service hold queue in about one minute, this approach may not work for every automated system. Another concern is that since Direct Line relies on preloaded company numbers, its current selection of over 350 phone numbers may not include the company of your choice, although the app’s database is constantly updated and suggestions for additional listings can be sent to the developer.

Summary

Direct Line can breeze you through most automated phone systems, but not all of them. If you find yourself frequently frustrated by recorded customer service menus, this app may be huge relief. For 99 cents, it’s worth a try. Usability: 3 / 5 Value: 3 / 5 Utility: 3 / 5 Aesthetics: 3 / 5

Overall Rating: 3 / 5

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