AI is annoying, but human desperation is worse – carrier bots could be the lesser evil

GTDOTFC: that's what I like. That's short for Getting Things Done On The First Call and it rarely happens to me when I have to speak with a carrier rep. It's often the case that I encounter an employee who is not interested in offering a solution – or simply can't come up with one, because they don't have the knowledge.

Like the time that I came home from abroad and there was no remaining data for me to use. Yeah, I'm not on an unlimited plan. The monthly gigabytes that come with my plan are almost always enough for my needs – and if, by any chance, I burn through them earlier, I just buy several more to get me through the month. Has happened once or twice.

Back to my story: I called my carrier, asked what the hell was going on, since I was obviously roaming, and I wasn't using my home country data. Nobody could give me an answer or an explanation.

As bad as that is, I wasn't prepared for the story that my colleague Alan reported on the other day:

• Verizon rep literally begs for top feedback score from customer in bonkers chat session

What happened is that many wireless carriers (including Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T) use high-pressure sales metrics that force their reps to meet strict quotas for selling accessories, insurance, or extra lines. If reps don't do that, they risk losing their jobs.

This pressure has led to cases where reps allegedly add unwanted services to customer accounts just to hit their numbers. One Verizon rep, desperate to avoid punishment tied to low customer feedback scores, was caught begging a customer for a perfect 5-star rating, fearing pay cuts or worse.

This isn't the usual "Hey, please rate the service, thank you very much" type of request. Quite the contrary:



In a span of five minutes, the user apparently got no less than three messages for a Verizon representative who was begging for a five-star review. Not four, solely five: otherwise, they'd "be in hell". Probably what they mean by "hell" is that they'll risk losing their job. I don't think Verizon (or the other carriers, for that matter) has a literal hell with forks and boiling water.

It could be the case that the star-rating system affects a representative's paycheck at the end of the month, though, as another Reddit user suggest:



A part of me wants to say that I'm not surprised by this rep's behavior, since I've seen it all throughout the years. But I've never been in such a situation, where grown professionals beg me to rate their service with the maximum score, otherwise "hell" is coming.

You know what? Even if the service was top-notch, the fact that someone is daring enough to ask for a 5/5 review would automatically make me want to give it a lower rating. You don't ask for the highest rating, people – either you earn it, or you don't.

Do you remember that Tywin Lannister quote from Game of Thrones? It goes like this:



Similarly, a true five-star rep does not need to proclaim their alleged top-quality service, as it should be self-evident through their actions.

AI bots welcome

At this point, it's hard not to wonder whether AI bots could actually be an improvement over some of the human reps you encounter when dealing with telcos. At least, an AI would never beg you for a five-star review or sneak unwanted insurance onto your bill… right?

It would simply do its job without complaint, without desperation, and – most importantly – without the emotional baggage that comes with crushing sales quotas. In fact, with the right programming, AI bots could handle most straightforward customer service requests much faster and more accurately than overworked, undertrained human reps.

The appeal is clear: AI doesn't get tired, doesn't get defensive, and won't pressure you to buy something you don't need (unless it's specifically programmed that way). It can provide consistent, polite responses, remember details from previous chats, and process large amounts of data instantly to offer solutions based on actual customer needs.

Let's not raise our hopes too high

That said, it's important not to fall into the trap of thinking AI bots are a silver bullet for customer service. Anyone who has ever gotten stuck in a chatbot loop knows exactly what I mean. AI bots can misinterpret complex issues, fail to grasp nuance, or deliver dull, hollow responses that don't solve the real problem. There's nothing more frustrating than being stuck in an endless cycle of "Did this answer your question?" when what you really need is a human being with the authority and flexibility to actually fix things by thinking out of the box.

AI also lacks empathy – something that, when genuine, can make a big difference during frustrating situations like billing errors or service outages. Bots don't understand context the way people do, and sometimes, no matter how advanced the AI is, there's no substitute for talking to someone who can truly listen and react accordingly.

The best solution is probably somewhere in between: AI bots handling the routine, repetitive tasks that bog down human reps, while well-trained humans step in for the more complex, sensitive cases. It's about balance, not total replacement. I hope so.

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