User:The C of E/Computer Says No

"Computer Says No", or the "Computer says no attitude", is the popular name given to an attitude in customer service where the default response is to check with information stored electronically and making decisions based on that, apparently without consideration of common sense and showing a level of unhelpfulness where more could be done but is not offered. The name gained popularity through British sketch comedy, Little Britain.

Little Britain
In "Little Britain", "Computer Says No" is the catchphrase of the character Carol Beer (played by David Walliams), a bank worker and later holiday rep and hospital receptionist, who always responds to a customers enquiry by typing it into her computer and responding with "Computer Says No" to even the most reasonable of requests. When asked in a manner to do something aside of asking the computer, she would shrug remain obstinate in her unhelpfulness. The phrase was also used in Australian soap opera, "Neighbours" in 2006 as a reference to "Little Britain".

Usage
The "Computer Says No" attitude often comes from larger companies who rely on information stored electronically. When this information is not updated, it can often lead to refusals of financial products or incorrect information being sent out to customers. These situations often can be sorted by an employee updating the information, however when this cannot be done easily, the "Computer Says No" attitude can be viewed to become prevalent when there is unhelpfulness as a result. This can also occur when an employee fails to read human emotion of the customer and reacts according with their professional training or relies upon a script. It is also when larger companies rely on computer credit scores and do not meet with a customer to discuss their individual needs and instead basing a decision upon information store on computers. Some organisations attempt to offset this by moving away from reliance on electronic information and using a human approach towards requests.

"Computer Says No" is also used in a more literal sense often when computer systems use filters and sometimes prevent messages being passed along owing to them being perceived to include obscenity. This situation often means that information is not passed through to a person and thus decisions often get made without this information owing to the "Computer Says No" issue.