The ability of electronic systems to be operated via the tone signals produced by your telephone keypad has provided easy access to many services that formerly required a live person on the other end of the phone line. You have probably used many of the services listed below without even giving it a second thought.
- Banking. You can call into your bank and access any or all of your accounts direct from your phone. You can find out your balances and make transfers from one account to another. All of this is achieved, just by pushing the numbers on your phone’s key pad.
- Check your mortgage stats. Your mortgage information is another account that you can generally access through your touch tone phone. This is great for getting that year end information you need for your taxes. Punch in a few numbers and find out how much interest you paid in the last year, and how much was paid out for property taxes. Easy, but still kept secured, by information that only you would know.
- Renew a prescription. Many pharmacies not provide this option. You can call their phone number any time of the day or night to refill a prescription. All you need to do is punch in the prescription number off of your prescription label and the automated system will enter it into the system for the pharmacist to fill. It will even tell you when you can expect it to be ready for pickup.
- Accessing your voicemail. The touch tone phones allow you to access your voice mail easily, from any location. Simply dial your own number and enter the appropriate code, and you have access to your messages, or to any of the other administrative functions available in your voice mail account.
- Unemployment. Most states have now automated their unemployment reporting systems so that they can be accessed by touch phone technology, as well. Instead of having to physically go into the unemployment office or report by mail, you can simply call their automated system and enter your information through your touch tone phone each week.
- Credit card payments. Combining touch tone technology with credit card payments was a no brainer. Not only is it more secure than giving your information to an employee, it is usually much more accurate as well. It also saves time. A credit card number can be punched in very quickly using the numerical keypad.
- Stock trading. Buy, sell, move your stocks around, all without having to make polite conversation with your stockbroker. Access and control your investments from any location, at any time.
- Accessing your credit card account. Need to find out how much credit you have available on your credit card, or what your balance is? Just like your bank account, you can get access to those details direct from your phone at any time of the day; no more waiting on the line for the ‘next available operator’.
- Business call direction. Many businesses have eliminated the need for a receptionist to answer their incoming calls by utilizing an automated answering service. Instead of being greeted by a live person, you hear a recorded greeting that directs you to push 1 for Sales or 2 for Customer Service, etc.
- Registrations. Events and workshop registrations are often being handled through electronic input these days. It speeds up the process and eliminates the operator hours that used to be required to handle all these incoming calls.
Security, accuracy, and efficiency are all included as reasons for utilizing touch tone technology in all of these applications.
