Bypassing computers to speak with a human being

Paul English of Arlington, Massachusetts, an Internet entrepreneur, started sharing tips on blogs for bypassing call menus. He got so much positive feedback and encouragement that he started a "cheat sheet" on his personal website. The traffic got so heavy that he started his own nonprofit organization, GetHuman, which hosts a website that gets a million hits per month.  The core of the website is the gethuman 500 database, which includes call response ratings of companies and government agencies as well as tips for getting around the IVR computer.

Fewer than 2% of the 500 received an A score; 84.4% received an F. Of the 17 federal agencies listed in the Get Human database, 15 get an F, while two (FBI and White House) get a grade of B for offering phone numbers that are directly answered by people [TC: whoopee, I say].

Here are a few tips:

Interrupt. Press 0 (or 0# or #0 or 0* or *0) repeatedly, sometimes quickly. Unfortunately, the same keystroke does not always work for each company. Many IVRs will connect to a human after a few "invalid entries," although some IVRs will hang up. 

Talk. Say "get human" (or "agent" or "representative") or raise your voice, - or even just mumble. The IVR might connect you to a human being after one of these key or unknown phrases. 

Just hold, pretending that you have only an old rotary phone. 

Connect to account collections or sales or account cancellation. These groups always seem to answer quickly. When you reach a real live person, immediately ask for the representative's name and rep number. This way, the rep knows that you are writing it down and is thus are more likely to help you. Then ask the rep to transfer you to the department you need. Sometimes you'll be put ahead of the queue, but at other times, you will be sent to the end. In that case, you're back where you started. 

Make a toll call. For service on credit cards, if the expected wait time is too long, hangup and try to call back on the company's non-toll-free number, as these numbers often have shorter queues.

I've done best with number four.  "Small steps toward a much better world," as they say.  The pointer is from Natasha.