Bringo: Customer Service Calls The Way They Should Be

I read about this service a mere 10 minutes ago on TechCrunch, but it is such a great idea that I had to post about it immediately. Bringo is a free service that allows you to find a company, type in your phone number, and viola!

In a few minutes, your phone rings and you are directly connected with an operator at your chosen company. No more struggling through 10 or 15 minutes of voicemail loops when all you want is a real live person to ask a question that isn't answered by the automated system. So far they cover the following categories:

• Auto (28 companies)
• Communication (43)
• Computer (24)
• Financial Services (162)
• Health Care (86)
• Media (5)
• Other (9)
• Retail (58)
• Travel (59)
• Utility (9)

What an intelligent use of technology. If you too are frustrated by customer service voicemail chains, try Bringo. You can also use the site GetHuman, which gives specific instructions on which buttons to press to get directly to a live person. For fun, GetHuman even rates companies with a grade of A to F based on their performance.