If you dial the telephone and tell the operator you don’t know the name of the person you seek, you may hear a click, if not a slam.
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That is unless you are calling U-M operators such as Benisa Anderson, an Information Technology Central Services (ITCS) employee who handles such requests daily.
“In cases like these I have to ask what they want and direct them to the proper person or department,” Anderson says.
Anderson has been with ITCS since 1989, answering calls, making connections and helping people get in touch. As the senior member of a 10-person team, she has witnessed tremendous upgrades in University communication systems.
“We have better software; the database is faster. When I first worked here, our database was a book and it took us a lot more time to look things up,” Anderson says.
Despite the technology changes, those who call the University between 7:45 a.m.-8 p.m. will talk to a real person, not a voice-activated machine recording. University operators used to answer phones until midnight, but it was determined that too few people called after 8 p.m.
“A lot of people are excited to hear a voice when they call to ask for assistance,” Anderson says.
Her duties include setting up conference calls and providing directory assistance. “Someone may be in a different state or country and I would connect them. They may talk with faculty in other places. They could call, fax or e-mail the contact information and I would place that call for them at the appointed time. I also deal with calls from the general public. Many are from people who want to study at the University.”
Anderson says potential students make up the majority of the more than 200 calls she receives daily. After experiencing the frustration of dealing with automated voice-activated systems, callers appreciate talking to people like Anderson.
“We also get people having a bad day and just needing to have somebody to yell at,” Anderson says. “When they call and try to be rude I respond politely. It changes their attitude. I don’t argue back at them; you have to have a good attitude to work here.”
In extreme cases, people make threatening or lewd calls. “I just don’t let it get under my skin,” Anderson says. “You have to have a sense of humor, and we do have caller ID.” Operators don’t give their names, but they let callers know they are calling the University.
The good calls far outweigh the bad, Anderson says. “There’s a person who needs to make conference calls everyday, and he knows me by my voice and always makes sure to let me know he appreciates the work I do for him.”
