How much do you love calling customer service numbers? Personally, they’re the bane of my existence and I avoid them at all costs – which, thankfully, it much easier to do than ever before, now that most accounted-related inquiries can be handled online. Just the other day, my boyfriend got assistance on a 3G issue with AT&T via Twitter. Is there anything that website can’t do? (Hehe, don’t answer that question. PG-rated website, folks!)

But despite the best efforts of live chat operators and the like, you may often find the occasion of needing phone support, and up until now it was a hassle of wading through multiple menus and the interminable headache of getting your voice commands to compute. (“I said OPERATOR, not OPRAH-HATER!”) Thus, the interwebs have been all abuzz lately for a new site called Fonolo, which promises to show you how to bypass phone menus and prompts with just a few mouse clicks. So how does Fonolo work? This graphic shamelessly snagged from their site will give you the scoop:

It really is that simple, and it’s totally free as well – mega bonus! I tried it today on my auto insurance agency, which inexplicably failed to allow me to update my address through their website. (Get wit da times, yo!) Fonolo brilliantly lays out the phone tree for your selected company and leads you right to wherever you ultimately need to end up. (Obviously, the system is most useful for when you need to connect directly to a representative.) There is a caveat, however – if at any point you need to enter information, you won’t be able to advance via Fonolo only. So for example, I was able to go as far as the point where my policy number needed to be entered, and that’s where Fonolo opted to connect me to the call. And for a little extra assurance that you’re getting a productivity bonus, Fonolo gives you a call timer so you’ll know how much of your precious time is being spent on the line. I only saved about 55 seconds, but it was still well worth it to bypass the surprisingly numerous menus required to get to the end destination.

Perhaps the site’s best feature, however, is the ability to record your phone calls. This is ideal for those times when you need to report an insurance claim, dispute a credit card charge, or you’d just like a record of your conversation in case the company in question decides to pull a fast one. I’d have loved this service a few years ago, when a douchey wanker at Discover Card spent 20+ minutes refusing to close my account. Sure, you’re always told upon calling that your call may be monitored for quality assurance, but what are the odds, and is anyone really listening? Having some extra piece of mind when you need it makes Fonolo call recording a feature worth taking advantage of.

So check it out while the going’s still good and the service is still free at Fonolo.com!

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