You may have seen ''virtual assistant'' demos before.  I have never been impressed by them -- they are usually clumsy and childlike, and plagued by frequent ''I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean'' responses when you manage to say something they're not expecting. Jenn at Alaska Airlines changed all that for me. I was first turned on ...

Research has suggested that people aren't upset with automated phone systems per se -- they've actually become quite comfortable with the concept.  Automated systems are available when callers need them, easy to use for basic questions, and a solution that they can handle on their own.  What really ticks them off is when these ...