I yearn for the days when Mrs. Vernon Kays used to answer phone in her husband’s County Clerk Ve3rnon Kays’ Office. (For those interested, she was the lowest paid person in the office.)
It’s not as if people calling the McHenry County Courthouse want to be teleported to another dimension, as Dr. Who does when he enters his call box. Those calling any but the eight departments mentioned in the phone tree would just like to talk to a human being.
One could make contact with a real human being then and until recently at the new Government Center by dialing “0,” rather than listening to a disembodied recording of a voice.
For the second time, in a couple of weeks I dialed the main courthouse number, 815-334-4000, and the department I wanted wasn’t on the phone tree.
Here are the options offered:
- Tickets and other related information
- Sheriff’s Department and Corrections
- County Recorder, recording of deeds, mortgages and liens
- State’s Attorney
- Planning and Development, building permits and inspections
- Treasurer, tax collection and passports
- County Clerk, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and voter registration
- Hours of business and location
- To repeat this menu, press 9
Press zero and one gets the same nine options.
In short, there is no way to reach a human being to, say, contact the County Board’s office.
This does not meet a “customer friendly” standard.
Did you have to press 1 for English . . . not yet? LOL
Dr Who actually stays in our dimension.
He travels in time, like back to the days when English speaking humans answered the phone.
In true government fashion, the County Board will appoint an ad hoc committee, to hire a consultant, who’ll gather research, to develop a system of prompts, that directs a caller to any destination in the government buildings. (which can be avoided if a live person replaces “hit 0”) and answers any queries not answered by prompts.
Simple enough, isnt it?
The county phone system is terrible.
If you don’t know how otherwise direct dial, try to get ahold of animal control or the highway dept?
Plus they speak sooooo sloooow.
Several times I have ended up dialing the sheriff switchboard and they transferred me.
I remember in years gone bye when you walked in the courthouse and there was a switchboard operator sitting right there that not only answered phones but could direct you to a certain office.
Now security directs you if your lucky and the Andy Fran security guard points the way in the admin building.