Has Your Phone Changed the Way Uses Its Voice?

I use not to like the way in which the voice of phone recorded messages talked to me, when calling large companies it made me uncomfortable not being able to ask questions that popped in my head, and they always talked in the two languages I am worst at: "Technologican" and "Formalese".

And, let's be honest, when asking for a phone number the answer you get is "Seven!!!...Nine!!!...Four!!!..." it's hard to take notes and not get intimidated.

I don't know how or when exactly, this change have taken place, or if It's been a gradual metamorphosis, carefully planned and orchestrated by the phone companies, aiming to achieve the total extinction of the phone operator as specie.

I have noticed that lately that, not only they have lost the boot camp attitude when giving number, but they sound much more warm and personal when I give the voice commands while eating a cookie and she ask me to repeat.

The other day, a text message from my provider appeared on the screen of my phone; they offered me to pay the bill over the phone simply by pressing "reply".

Being almost overdue, I decided that the offer wasn't that bad, and being my cell phone where I find it easier to use ; in my hand, I decided to pay the bill and go through the long series of "If this is correct; press pound", and so on.

As I was about to say my zip code when, behind me, my dog Max dove his foot long snout into the cat food bowl.

The tone in the voice until then, had been pleasant, almost reassuring in the way she explained that I could pay either using a checking account, credit card or debit card, she didn't ask me if I wanted to trade in my old for it, not that I was planning to, but I would have probably said yes.

Anyway, she never made me the offer, but she sounded very friendly at least.

However, let's go back to the cat food attempted burglary; after I yelled at the looter instead of saying my zip code, the voice said, in a guilty-puzzled way: "...I'm sorry... I didn't get that... could you repeat please?"

The way I remember it was more like; "The code you gave us does not exist, repeat the number NOW!!!"