I had to ring my mobile phone insurer recently to make a claim when I lost my phone. The introductory recording struck me as particularly well done.

This was the sequence of information presented by the recording:

  1. Identity confirmation – yes indeed I have reached the mobile insurer.
  2. This phone call may be recorded. This is probably the unavoidable piece of redundant info to comply wit the privacy act.
  3. It clearly outlined the four mandatory pieces of information (the make and model of the phone, the serial number, the phone number, and the police report number). The recording very clearly stated that without these, I would be able to make a claim.
  4. If I did not have the mandatory information, I would need to call them back on 1800 etc (the same number I rang). This was not only a useful reinforcement, but it allowed for the condition where I may have been transferred to this service and therefore would not have the phone number.

All this was done in the active voice, and in plain English. There was no corporate-speak or long sentences. And the recording was just long enough to tell me what I needed to know. And not too long should you need to sit through it again.