Microsoft switchboard vs. Google switchboard

Robert Scoble compares and contrasts the switchboards of Microsoft and Google in this post. He goes on to talk about how Microsoft has a very unique voice-controlled system that directs customers in the direction of the person they are trying to talk to. The way it works is you dial Microsoft's number. Supposedly, an electronic voice then answers and asks the caller whom they are trying to get in touch with. The caller then responds with the person's name, "Tim Harrington" for example, and a voice recording of Tim Harrington would come back so the customer calling would know exactly where they were in during there call.

The caller must then respond to a question that may be ask if they are looking for the right person and the customer must reply with a "yes" or a "no". If the voice controlled-system has any doubt of who the caller is trying to reach it will prompt them with a number of other question's related to the person that they are trying to reach. On the other hand, with Google's phone answering service, the customer call is immediately asked what the extension number is they are looking for. If the customer does not know the extension of the person they are trying to reach then they are to press 8, and then they are to begin to dial the numbers of the letter's of that person's first and last name. Without even making sure the caller is going in the right direction, Google's switchboard takes you to someone you had no intention of getting in touch with. To me, it sounds like a big pain in the ass to actually get in touch with the affiliate you need to talk to. So to sum everything up, Microsoft's switchboard is way ahead of the game with their voice-controlled system. The opportunities that a system like this could have seem endless. To read Scobles article, or follow up articles, just click on this link Scobleizer..