First I have to come clean, I architect and lead a group that designs interactive voice response applications and have been trying to get HP and now US to modernize and use all of the best practices.

I promise not to use any responses here for sales purposes, I am curious about customer reaction purely because I am so involved in voice user interfaces. I've mentioned BofA's rotten IVR before here, so here is a review of it from someone I have the utmost respect for: Dr Walter Rolandi's Repair for Wrecks

My wife is setting next to me at the moment in queue on 800.235.9292 trying to use a Juniper Companion coupon. She just turned it on speakerphone so I could hear the grating "baby doll" voice HP is using to tell customers that they are going to be in queue and "you can visit our website at usairways.com, Thank yew!" Out of all the voices I could ever imagine, the 19 yr old "babydoll" voice is the most grating. I would rather hear a 50 yr old cigar raspy male New Jersey voice tell me "want to talk to us? Fagetta about it!"

Anyone have any input regarding that poor employee's voice? I can think of 100 other employees that would be much better suited.