Computer says no

David Walliams played Carol Beer, who used the catchphrase "computer says no" on Little Britain.

"Computer Says No", or the "Computer says no attitude", is the popular name given to an attitude in customer service in which the default response is to check with information stored electronically and make decisions based on that, apparently without consideration of common sense, and showing a level of unhelpfulness where more could be done but is not offered.^[1] The name gained popularity through the British sketch comedy Little Britain.^[2]

Little Britain

In Little Britain, "Computer Says No" is the catchphrase of the character Carol Beer (played by David Walliams), a bank worker and later holiday rep and hospital receptionist, who always responds to a customer's enquiry by typing it into her computer and responding with "Computer Says No" to even the most reasonable of requests. When asked in a manner to do something aside from asking the computer, she would shrug and remain obstinate in her unhelpfulness, and ultimately cough in the customer's face.^[3] The phrase was also used in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 2006 as a reference to Little Britain.^[4]

Usage

The "Computer Says No" attitude often comes from larger companies that rely on information stored electronically. When this information is not updated, it can often lead to refusals of financial products or incorrect information being sent out to customers.^[2] These situations often can be sorted by an employee updating the information; however, when this cannot be done easily, the "Computer Says No" attitude can be viewed as becoming prevalent when there is unhelpfulness as a result.^[5] This attitude can also occur when an employee fails to read human emotion in the customer and reacts according to his or her professional training^[6] or relies upon a script.^[7] This attitude also crops up when larger companies rely on computer credit scores and do not meet with a customer to discuss his individual needs, instead basing a decision upon information stored in computers.^[8] Some organisations attempt to offset this attitude by moving away from reliance on electronic information and using a human approach towards requests.^[9]

"Computer Says No" happens in a more literal sense when computer systems employ filters that prevent messages being passed along, as when these messages are perceived to include obscenities. When information is not passed through to the person operating the computer, decisions may be made without seeing the whole picture.^[10]

References