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Comment by jroes | Hacker News Reader

I like this a lot.

My senators have a system that requires me to press 1 to leave a voicemail and 2 to speak with someone. I had to actually dial on my phone to make it happen.

Maybe a little keypad could be displayed while on the call?

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Would you prefer an on-screen keyboard or a connection through your real phone? (i.e., we call you and then put you through)

Thanks so much for the feedback (:

- someone who is partially responsible for this

Hard to say. I think many people on HN would prefer an on-screen keyboard, but that's sampling power users. Then again, it may be that the power users are the ones that are willing to take a stand.

Yes, but would those people also be the people who would have called in already? It's a tricky question (:

I would prefer google voice style, my phone rings and I am connected. I don't often take phone calls through my computer, despite using skype chat and having a webcam. I suspect many others are the same.

Which makes me wonder what percentage of internet users have ever had a google hangout?

Good point.

I think connecting me through the phone would be best. I was a little confused about how the call was going to work initially until I stopped skimming and actually read what was on the page.

Another good rationale is that the user may not have a microphone on the machine they're on. Or there could be security restrictions on the machine that prevent access. It also opens up a new world -- you could let them schedule the call during business hours for the senator's office, or a time when the user is free.

Working on this.

I'm not in America, but what about even just saying what key combination you should press to get through the menus to talk to a human?

I even hate waiting for the slow voice to read out the options!

Ooh, cool idea. It may vary from office to office but we'll definitely look into it.

check out gethuman.com for a service that offers menu-avoidance for other public numbers (though not necessarily the government).

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