Computer says no

"Computer Says No", or the "Computer says no attitude", is the popular name given to an attitude in customer service where the default response is to check with information stored electronically and making decisions based on that, apparently without consideration of common sense and showing a level of unhelpfulness where more could be done but is not offered.^[1] The name gained popularity through British sketch comedy, Little Britain.^[2]

Little Britain

In "Little Britain", "Computer Says No" is the catchphrase of the character Carol Beer (played by David Walliams), a bank worker and later holiday rep and hospital receptionist, who always responds to a customers enquiry by typing it into her computer and responding with "Computer Says No" to even the most reasonable of requests. When asked in a manner to do something aside of asking the computer, she would shrug and remain obstinate in her unhelpfulness and ultimately cough in the customer's face.^[3] The phrase was also used in Australian soap opera, "Neighbours" in 2006 as a reference to "Little Britain".^[4]

Usage

The "Computer Says No" attitude often comes from larger companies who rely on information stored electronically. When this information is not updated, it can often lead to refusals of financial products or incorrect information being sent out to customers.^[2] These situations often can be sorted by an employee updating the information, however when this cannot be done easily, the "Computer Says No" attitude can be viewed to become prevalent when there is unhelpfulness as a result.^[5] This can also occur when an employee fails to read human emotion of the customer and reacts according with their professional training^[6] or relies upon a script.^[7] It is also when larger companies rely on computer credit scores and do not meet with a customer to discuss their individual needs and instead basing a decision upon information store on computers.^[8] Some organisations attempt to offset this by moving away from reliance on electronic information and using a human approach towards requests.^[9]

"Computer Says No" is also used in a more literal sense often when computer systems use filters and sometimes prevent messages being passed along owing to them being perceived to include obscenity. This situation often means that information is not passed through to a person and thus decisions often get made without this information owing to the "Computer Says No" issue.^[10]

References

1. ↑ "Computer Says No but We Need Our Say". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 2016-01-23 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)). 
2. 1 2 Bank accounts. "Who to blame when 'computer says no'?". Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
3. ↑ "Episode 3.1". Little Britain. Series 3. Episode 1. 17 November 2005. BBC. BBC 1. 
4. ↑ "Neighbours Episode 5023 from 2006". NeighboursEpisodes.com. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
5. ↑ Peachey, Kevin (2009-06-17). "When the bank's computer says no". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
6. ↑ Kane, Pat (2015-11-03). "Professionals, your time is up, prepare to be sidelined by tech". New Scientist. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
7. ↑ Lythe, Ruth. "The lives wrecked because COMPUTER SAYS NO: Major report reveals human toll of inflexible customer service by banks and insurers". This is Money. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
8. ↑ "'Computer says no' issues hitting the self-employed". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2016-01-23 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)). 
9. ↑ "Planners' move from 'computer says no' response is welcome". Mid-Devon Gazette. Retrieved 2016-01-23 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)). 
10. ↑ 18:57, 15 Feb 2007 Updated 14:04, 12 Jan 2013. "'Computer says no' to rude word". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2016-01-23.