Receiving a call from a textphone user

[natalyad]

Receiving an incoming call from a textphone user via TextRelay

*ring ring* *ring ring*

Please hold for an operator-assisted call from a textphone user

The computerised female voice telling you that you are the lucky recipient of a TextRelay call

For more information about Textphones and TextRelay see my post deaf and speech impaired people's access to telephony or the UK's TextRelay website.

Hanging up on the scary recorded message is common

This voice is so much like automated spam that I am not surprised so many people hang up on it as soon as they hear "computerised voice". I almost expect to be hung up on by 75% of organisations or recipients not used to receiving calls via TextRelay.

I'll generally forgive one hang-up by someone who hasn't used relay before. However it's often 2, 3 or even 4 or more hangups on the recorded message or even a live operator themselves that gets tiring and stressful. Sometimes TextRelay can redial for me, so I don't get another call-connection charge, but sometimes I have to redial from scratch which is slow due to all the connecty gubbins that has to happen.

Hanging up on TextRelay users is unlawful as well as annoying!

I should also point out that it is unlawful for an organisation to hang up on a relay user or refuse to accept the call as it is disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 access to goods and services by denial of service. There is case law Gordon Waring v DCW Private Hire Cullingworth Taxis.

I have occasionally had staff at an organisation be very rude to me (taxi firms are notorious) and the operator on relay and refuse to take my call. I usually try and follow this up with a complaint because on one occasion they did apologise and promise to train their staff.

Please do take TextRelay calls - hold the line

The best thing to do if you hear Please hold for an operator-assisted call from a textphone user is hold the line and follow the instructions. Even if the message turns out to be spam, they can't charge money to your phonebill while you just listen and it is at worst a few seconds of your time.

You may also hear Please wait. Please wait before an operator connects but they should connect within a minute or two.

TextRelay Operator connects into the call

Once the relay operator (sometimes called relay assistant) connects they will say something like

Hello, you have a call from a deaf or speech impaired person and I will be relaying the call. Please say "go ahead" when you have finished speaking.

You can ask the operator at any time to explain or clarify how to use the service as this may not be automatically offered due to customer preference testing.

Turn taking on a relay call

Calls via TextRelay can currently only allow one person to speak at a time, much like a radio. This is because of the mixed modes of the call.

If you say yes to receiving the call, the textphone using caller will get the first turn to speak. If you have said who you are, this doesn't always get passed on. You can say "Yes, I accept this call, please say it's James on the line. Go Ahead

Once you have said Go ahead the operator will let the textphone user know it is their turn.

The textphone user may type their response to you, or they may speak it (see my TextRelay modes post for more info).

Textphone user is typing their responses

If the response is typed, (possibly the more common way TextRelay is used) the operator will speak what is typed to you. The operator will do their best but may mispronounce unfamiliar words.

When the textphone user has finished typing they will type GA to let the operator know to tell you it is your turn again. When it is your turn the operator will be typing what you say to the textphone user, they are not verbatim typists so speaking slowly and clearly will be helpful.

See my my post about TextRelay modes for more information.

Textphone user is speaking for themselves (VCO)

If the response is spoken, this is a mode called Voice Carry Over (VCO) you will hear the caller as you usually would, but you cannot interrupt or speak until the operator tells you that it is your turn.

It will take 1-2 seconds of apparent silence to switch from the textphone user speaking back to your turn as the relay operator is switched in and out of the call.

The Textphone user does not have the option to hear you speaking - this will change with BT's Next Generation Text Relay due to go live in April 2014!

Textphone user speaks for themselves (for speech impaired users)

Speech impaired people may use the Hearing Carry Over (HCO) mode of TextRelay where they speak for themselves and type their responses for the Relay Operator to speak to you.

In this case the operator will speak for the speech impaired person but your spoken responses will go directly to them to hear as usual.

I don't know much about HCO mode or HCO users. There is also not much about it on TextRelay's website.