Suggestions on how to ask questions on phone

[Heather Shay]

I've been working with voice analyzer, doing exercises to increase the pitch of my voice, and doing the exercises on resonance, ennounciation, words and phrases that ladies tend to use and diction and wanted to try to see if I could call Walmart or Hair Salon or airline and see if I could pass the feminine voice test with a real person.

 

I tried airline and was put on eternal hold. I tried Walmart and asked about lawnmowers and talked to 2 people but neither mentioned anything, so I tried the Walmart Hair Salon and asked about protocol for Covid and then appointments and she didn't use any pronouns so I said I'd have to make sure my husband could take my and she said to make sure to call as soon as I could.

 

All in all I don't know if they thought I was a woman or not - I tried to keep in the feminine range.

 

Are there any tips how to draw out of someone to use a pronoun or at least say thank you ma'am?

 

Also is there a help list of things ladies tend to say ...things like "her baby is so cute". 

 

I will keep working and my band has noticed I can reach the highnotes much better then I used to - so I know it's working.

[Kasumi63]

Interesting post. I just had surgery for my voice, but it’s tough to get an objective evaluation. Here in Japan it’s even more difficult to get that objective evaluation because people usually don’t pronouns, instead referring to people as “customers.” Actually, though, it’s the same in daily life, as people are unlikely to comment on the gender of other people. I know it’s been a while, Heather, but did you ever find a way to get an objective evaluation of your voice?

[KathyLauren]

Mostly, I don't care how business people on the phone perceive me.  If I want something from them, my desire is just to get what I wanted.  If they want something from me, I hang up.

 

I did have one interesting business call yesterday.  I was calling our heating oil supplier, because we are changing vendors and I needed to close my account.  No problem, until the representative said that my name wasn't on the account.  I had my most recent bill in front of me, so I double-checked: it said "Kathleen ____".  So I told her that my name was indeed on my copy.  She said, "It says "Kathleen.  Your voice is awfully deep for a Kathleen."  I just told her that that was indeed my name, and to get on with business.

 

I suppose she had an obligation to make sure I wasn't some pissed-off ex-husband trying to turn of Kathleen's heat.

[Heather Nicole]

On 9/17/2022 at 8:21 AM, KathyLauren said:

She said, "It says "Kathleen.  Your voice is awfully deep for a Kathleen."  I just told her that that was indeed my name, and to get on with business.

 

I'd be tempted to say something like "Yes, people often mistake me for a Samantha." (or whatever other name)