'PRESS ONE FOR this, press two for that . . .' Like it or not, many of our telephone calls are picked up by automated answering systems - another 'advance' in technology that allows us to have less and less contact with real human beings.
These robotic systems are often infuriating, but frustrating as they are, the voices belong to real people and are not computer-generated.
'WELCOME to CityLine . . .' For those who use CityLine to buy cinema tickets, James Kralick's voice is probably one of the most familiar in Hong Kong.
Harvard graduate Kralick, 37, the chief executive of VTech Telecommunications, came to be the star vocalist of CityLine via an early twist in his career. He was one of the founders of CityLine back in 1993, when the company had little money to spend on voice professionals. The job simply fell to him and nearly a decade later, he's still there. 'We used my voice for the recording because it was free,' he says.
Asked how he feels when he calls to buy tickets himself and hears his own voice welcoming him to the ticketing hotline, he laughs. 'I try to dissociate myself as quickly as possible,' he says.
Kralick's recording past is the source of much mirth among his friends, especially with people who don't know him very well. It can take a few minutes for the penny to drop, but it usually does, once they have heard him speak.
