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leavemealone
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Registered: 04/28/2006
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(Date Posted:03/29/2007 8:47 AM)

So, upon investigation, I'm noticing the lack of information on how to actually USE relay. The FAQs and etc on relay sites give very little information about placing a call. I think this is a concern, mostly because many deaf users seem to know the guidelines of state relay or tty service, which is very different than general internet relay. So I've been compiling a list of things that might make it easier for deaf users if they knew about these things. Let's see what everyone else comes up with. Maybe Speedial knows a good place to post these too.

My list:

Timing out:

You generally have anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds to provide a number before you get disconnected. I know that seems harsh, and believe me, I've heard complaints. It's difficult when you're using a sidekick especially, because the delay can really slow you down. So try to be paying attention when you get connected to an operator, or you'll have to start all over again. We don't WANT to disconnect you before you place a call, but we're required to disconnect you so that other people can get to an operator more quickly, since you're not ready to start relay and provided no number *shrug*. Or so they say.


Ordering Food:

First, almost ALL pizza places want A. your phone number (and some won't deliver WITHOUT a phone number, so use a friends if you have to) then B. provide your order when asked. Please please please do not start typing your order out before the person asks for it. You'll probably end up having to type it again, wait until you're asked for info before you give it. I'd start the call with "I'd like a delivery/carry out/etc."

Ordering from a foreign restaurant (chinese, greek, etc) can be VERY hard for us. Most places in the DC area know relay. But trying to explain relay to someone who barely speaks english is HARD. Most of them hang up because they don't understand us. It's not our fault, we really do try to explain it. Please don't get mad at us!

Redialing:

If you're calling a cell phone, and it does not RING before the answering machine picks up, the phone is off. If the phone is on, it will RING. So, if you don't see rings, just straight answering machine, there's no point in redialing 100 times. The phone is off.

Please feel free to interrupt us when we're typing the answering machine message if you're going to redial. It saves so much time. We would really appreciate not typing the message over and over again.

Hanging up:
If you want to hang up the call you're on, and place another call, PLEASE use the SK. Please do not type "hang up dial 555 555 5555" because technically, we'd have to SAY that to the other person. Please please please. You can even say "operator pls hang up, another call" that's FINE, as long as you are asking US to hang up. I prefer SK though.

If you want to hang up, and not place any more calls, then please HANG UP. Over and over again EVERY DAY people don't hang up their calls and leave the other person sitting and wondering what's going on! Here's the list:
1. IP relay (regular internet relay): Please click the "hang up" button or close the browser window completely.
2. Wireless (sidekicks, etc.) push the "end" button and make sure the call is off your screen.
3. IMs/Messenger relay: Closing the window usually does NOT hang up the call. Type "end call" or ask the operator to disconnect the call. DO NOT just close the window, it won't hang up the call.

General rules:
IP operators cannot do the following:

-find a live rep if that is not an option on the recording

-be involved in your covnersation (i.e. no "operator tell them this" "operator pls explain to them")

-tell the person that you are deaf at the beginning of the call, unless you specifically ask us to. We can only tell them that relay is INTENDED for the deaf and hoh (in fact, we have to emphasize that anyone can use it, because most of our calls are not from deaf or hoh people)

-hold forever. We can hold for 1 minute, 60 seconds, if you ask us to hold. No longer, after that we begin to warn you that we're disconnecting.

That's all I have for right now.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello gudday do u have (clean running autos bought for high prices!) for sales qq gaga

ursexyopr
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(Date Posted:03/29/2007 9:43 AM)

very good i just want to reiterate about the live rep ....bec i'm constantly getting yelled at for not getting one.





be mindful we cannot cannot cannot make decisions for u u have to make them. If i say the choice for a live rep is not available list options. Have me list the options so u can pick the appropriate one. If i list the options and u still say live rep I still can't get one bec there's no choice u HAVE TO PICK A CHOICE don't get mad at me if u pick the wrong one. It's like this if u were hearing and u called the nbr urself and got the recording and picked the wrong choice then it was ur fault. same here u told us to pick that option. that's all we can do. I'm sorry we can't just automatically role into a rep if it were up to me I would make it easier i would sit there and hd for one or pick an option that i knew would get a rep but i can't. so pls be mindful of that. I'm tired of getting yelled at saying that one opr did it and got them a rep and it went smoothly 9 times out of 10 they probably did it wrong and if they were monitored they would get written up because they took control of the call. they just didn't want to get yelled at either.



ok i'm done.

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smoothloperator
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(Date Posted:03/29/2007 10:22 AM)

AWESOME thread so far.  Ditto what's been said.


 


Here's a few others I can think of.


 


When calling a person who is not being receptive to relay calls...

--- DO NOT KEEP CALLING.  If they don't want to talk to you, they don't HAVE TO and we cannot force them to.  It's harassment to keep calling someone who doesn't want to talk to you.


--- Don't say "don't announce"...it just doesn't work since most people can't type fast enough to keep someone from hanging up.


--- If you're calling someone to check on renting or something, have us tell them you're deaf when we announce relay....it does NOT guarantee they won't still hang up on you, but it might help.


 


 


When calling a business....


--- Don't use "deaf slang" like "undy", or "Remmy" or "ummy".  You're talking to PROFESSIONALS.  In all odds they will be having a hard enough time grasping the ASL sentence structure.


--- Use REAL FULL WORDS.  AGain, you're dealing with professional people, so be professional too.


--- READ what the person is saying to you.  Asking the same thing 3 times when they've already answered your question 3 times is going to piss them off and they may hang up.


--- Pay attention to the call.  Stop browsing the net, talking to others, or driving and focus on the call.  Calling a busy place at peak times and then taking 5 minutes to say "hello ga" is just RUDE.


--- Unless the business knows you, or is VERY familiar with Relay...USE GA protocal!  A Busieness that doesn't have much experience with Relay will be so frustrated and confused if you use relaxed relay, in all odds you'll get hung up on.  Use GA's and GASK's when dealing with a business, it will make the call flow VERY SMOOTHLY


 


When using Instant messanger (AOL, YAHOO or MSN)


--- Remember there is a delay (even if you're on high speed) sometimes as much as 8 seconds.  Be PATIENT.


--- Please don't type just a few words and hit the send button.  For us on our screen thewordsmushtogether and it's hard to understand what you're saying.  You have a HUGE text area, type out a paragraph and send it then it's much easier.  PLUS most phone providers charge you per text message, so if you're accesing say AIM that way, every time you hit enter it counts against your text message total.   Typing full thoughts and responses and THEN hitting "send" will cut down on how many text messages you use on a call.   We ops have NO control over when our system sends the responses and it usually sends every 5-8 words....that's our SYSTEM doing it, we can do nothing about it.


--- Don't use fancy fonts, they send garble and we'll ask you to repeat it.


 


General calling


--- Unless someone is expecting you to call late, don't call at like 1130pm, most people will NOT be happy with you.


--- Leave voicemail messages!  Honestly, with Caller ID, in all odds someone who may not want to talk to you at that point in time is deliberatly not answering the phone.  And they probably won't like you calling them repeatedly.  Leave them a message, tell them you're trying to reach them.


--- When someone says they're busy, don't keep redialing.  They said they were busy, that means they don't want to talk to you and it'll have to wait.


--- If you're going to call your voicemail to check your messages...make sure you KNOW HOW to access it.  Many times we get incomplete instructions, and we're NOT allowed to enter things you didn't tell us to.  Make sure you know if you're supposed to enter *(star) or # (pound) and your pass codes or any other numbers to access it.


 

--------------------------------------------------------------
Verizon = Devil

Relay needs REFORM NOW!
speedial 1
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(Date Posted:03/29/2007 5:19 PM)

Gee thanks you all- great tips. There were one or two items I didn't know- mostly the "time out" figures. Makes sense but may or may not be hard if someone has an additional disability which makes their input slow. There really is no way a user can be aware of all the constraints and rules you work under. Our ignorance of the process and the nuances of your work just makes things even worse for everyone- but you are the front line! You get the complaints, name-calling, and grief- the phone companies should provide you with combat pay and some type of on-going psychological guidance to put up with what you have to at both ends!



When I use internet relay (Sprint) I generally put in the requested number, the opr. instructions and my message (if I anticipate an answering machine) in the caller's section- ending with GA, of course. If it's a fairly long message I write it in "Word" first, since the crazy results of my nystagmus in addition to typos can be corrected before you oprs.get them (by the way I do the same when writing long posts here). I then copy and paste into WordPad or Notepad because I'm not sure if non ASCII characters are reproduced properly on ur equipment-or on this site, so word/note pad allows me to reformat whatever may otherwise show up weird.



When the RO answers, my outgoing message screen goes blank. After the opr's. introduction I then ask that my information be processed as previously sent. There is a variable but reasonable delay then I'm notified of ring status etc.. Everything goes very quickly and generally smoothly. At the end of the call the RO comes back to tell me the call was completed. I thank the opr. in a variety of ways, and poof- they are gone. Occasionally, an opr will say the "have a nice day", but mostly they just sign off. Obviously when I don't anticipate a machine I can't go through all this. On the other hand if I'm unsure I will go through the process, if it's a relatively lengthy message, but don't enter it in the box unless needed - I just go about the call.



It's only fairly recently I've even used the internet for relay, but doing things as I outlined really saves me and you all a lot of time-not having to deal with my errors, so I do use this method for anticipated answering machine calls when possible.



I don't have any connection with any Deaf publications or anything but having your tips sent to some deaf sites really may help.

Somewhere on these boards we exchanged information on some places for your "tips". I can't find the list but:



http://www.deafrochester.com/index.php?page=organization&id=12

http://www.thetigerbeat.com/news/?c=deaf, http://pr.gallaudet.edu/gtm/,

http://www.tdi-online.org/tdi/Staff.asp, (staff contact- also TDI hard copy is read as you know) could be included- they have wide distribution. NTID and GALLEY are of course, popular. I know some of you have posted on some other deaf sites.



An article or two can go a long way. Maybe something for parents included in a brochure for prospective students in residential or day schools may get parents to be more knowledgeable of use and relay etiquette - parents are often totally glazed over when they find out their kid is deaf. They are sponges for information. They have all kinds of questions about how their little darlings will function in the world?just some thoughts. Here is a link to a list of Deaf schools http://infotogo.gallaudet.edu/schools-usa.html.



All of this won't help the foul mouthed, deaf/hearing mostly adolescent males out there or demanding, unreasonable, rude poorly educated adults,. But maybe a few. Still and all I for one say we deaf should somehow register or sign up or something. Truthfully, to me the service is so valuable I would pay extra to reap the benefit I receive. I would really have to rely on my husband or someone else to make my calls, which I really hate. I know some of our regular phone bill goes toward the service, but non users shouldn't have to foot the whole thing. On the other hand since many Deaf are in very low paying jobs and/or SSI they may not be able to afford anything.



A few loud militants really spoil things for others of us?sigh.



Gee my posts are getting long. I'm going to have to get my own publisher soon!
leavemealone
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(Date Posted:03/29/2007 8:23 PM)

Oh! Speedial reminded me of one:



If you're using the auto-dial feature, make sure you type any instructions BEFORE you type the number. ESPECIALLY when using a sidekick or other wireless device. Auto dial will start the call after you ve typed 10 numbers. So like this:



Please ask for David from Emily please 555-555-5555



NOT:

555-555-5555 ask for David from Emily please



The number may already be dialing out and answered by the time the operator sees your instructions on the screen. So please please please, BEFORE the number.





And then there's.......



Pls do nut type like dis cuz itz nut english n pplz dun no why uz is making up wurdz n putin z's n evryting un stufz. dat dun make no senz yo. so leeves da slangz at yo crib g, cuz da peepz u be calln dey may nut undy uz at all. even i dun undy u sumtimes n dat make it sooooo hard to read wut u be typin n mez up uz call.



This is mostly done by hearing users, but I've noticed more and more deaf users doing it. Probably because their friends type that like on messenger. Here's the thing, it may look all cute and hip to you if you don't HEAR it, but if you HEAR how that sounds when spoken, well....makes you sound like an idiot. Plain english please, especially when calling a business.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello gudday do u have (clean running autos bought for high prices!) for sales qq gaga
operatot
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(Date Posted:03/30/2007 2:57 AM)

I have a few to add, mainly for state relay.



VCO users, if you don't use the GA or Go Ahead, that is fine.. but don't get angry at me for typing what your caller is saying when they interrupt you. If you don't use the GA or Go Ahead we have to MIRROR your call process, so the term (person you called) doesn't have to use GA or Go Ahead either.

If you want a smoother process, please don't forget the GA or Go Ahead.



TTY users, when we receive garble, and we ask you to repeat, there is really no need to say "I SAAAIDDD [content]" really, no need.
for all relay callers)

Please read instructions. If the recording says "press 1 for option a and press 2 for option b" don't say "press 1 for option b GA" because that just....doesnt.....work..... If you are confused as to which number to hit for "option b" just say "option b GA"

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HELLO OPERATOT PLS DAIL DAIL OPRTOT DAIL!!
gask alice
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(Date Posted:03/30/2007 4:04 AM)

here's one.



if you're calling someone over ip relay/wireless because you have their number on your caller id and you don't recognize it, they will probably not know how to use relay and be very confused. also, keep in mind, they probably just dialed the wrong number...it happens all the time. and if you DO ask them why they called you, keep in mind they DO NOT have your phone number showing--it's the server number instead. so they have no idea who you are or what number you're really calling from, so they won't know you or be able to tell you why they called your number until you tell them your number. i get like at least one call a day where an orig is trying to figure out why they have a mysterious number on their caller id, and it almost always turns ugly fast.



also, people have already said it but it can't be emphasized enough that we can't really help you guys when you're dialing a recording. it is terrible to have an orig get furious at you because you can't read their mind and based on the selective information they give you they're guessing is pertinent get them to the right rep queue. we just can't do it; there's too much room for error and misinterpretation involved. and frankly when it comes to functional equivalence, i don't know about you but when i dial an 800 number i have to listen to all of that droning recorded crap and sort it out. the phone wire doesn't do the work for me there.



this is sort of petty, but it would be so nice if callers knew how hard it can be sometimes when you're stuck with an orig who makes 75 million short calls or ivru calls and you have to go to the bathroom or get to lunch and can't because of the relief rules. if you're going to make a million calls and they're the kind an operator can't be relieved from, please consider dropping out and getting a new operator between those calls...i know it's your right not to, but oh man, sometimes i was worried i wasn't going to make it. /tmi
gask alice