A truly killer app? Hong Kong-designed ‘hotline killer’ avoids hanging on phone forever

Smartphone app Skipmenu allows callers to bypass robotic recordings and tap their way quickly through the maze of time-confusing and often unnecessary options on phone hotlines

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Waiting for someone to speak to you on a hotline can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience.

Published: 12:23pm, 19 May 2016Updated: 11:49am, 27 May 2016

A new Hong Kong smartphone app offers users relief from the tedium of telephone hotlines that steer callers through a labyrinth of recorded messages. Hotlines like HSBC’s – the one most often cited as a source of frustration among people the app’s developers spoke to.

Skipmenu, branded a “hotline killer”, represents hotline messages visually on a smartphone screen, allowing callers to bypass robotic recordings and tap their way rapidly through the maze of options – and even connect to a customer service representative.

The launch version of the application, which is free to download, is able to read 800 hotlines, including those of banks, telecom companies, airlines and Hong Kong government departments.

WATCH how quickly Skipmenu navigates a hotline

“When calling a faceless entity like the Inland Revenue Department, you can waste 10 minutes on average listening to ‘press one for this’ or ‘press two for that’,” says Gabriel Chan, Skipmenu founder and chief executive. “By seeing all the options on the screen, rather than hearing them, you can connect in seconds.”