Over the last few years, Ohio University has resisted the move to an automated phone system and has instead offered our students, parents and faculty a human voice on our end of a phone call. The university has insisted on having people answer all phone inquiries to the university.
This will end Nov. 2, when six positions in Information Technology will be eliminated. For the 33 years that I have been employed here, parents’ inquiries, students’ questions, prospective students and parents have been able to direct their questions to knowledgeable people here at this institution.
Automated answering machines work fine if you know exactly with whom you need to speak to for an answer to your question. It’s those callers that are looking for help and don’t know who to call who will be adversely affected. This will especially be true for parents seeking help for problems or answers about their students’ issues. These cuts are being driven by the director of Information Technology, who claims they have been approved by President Duane Nellis. In eliminating the human touch, the university is insisting on monetary savings over customer service.
Let me add that in the years I have been here and in the seven years I have served as union president, there has never been a single complaint about our IT specialists. Not one. In fact it’s been quite the opposite.
The stories about their help and assistance to students and especially to parents are too numerous to detail here. I like to think of these women and men as the “voice” of OU. Don’t change the voice of OU to “press one for service.” Don’t silence the voice of Ohio University.
Dave Logan is the president of AFSCME Local 1699, which represents skilled trade and service employees at Ohio University's Athens, Zanesville and Chillicothe campuses.
