By Randy Saunders

Amtrak (U.S. national passenger railroad) has an automated telephone agent named “Julie” who answers about 50,000 calls per day.  Since her debut in 2001, Julie has earned high marks from callers, who have given her an approval rating of more than 90 percent.  As automated attendants go, the system is one of the best.  She’s designed to be friendly, pleasant and helpful — and mostly, she is.

For those thousands of passengers that call to check  a schedule or make sure their train’s on time, they’ll hear Julie reply with “got it!” to each request.  And when she doesn’t understand you she even apologizes, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”

While Julie efficiently ... Read More