The Knesset plenum approved on Monday, 4 Menachem Av, passed a bill by the Knesset Economics Committee Chairman, MK (Machane Tzioni) Eitan Cabel in a second and third reading. The bill intends to shorten telephone waiting time with a human response instead of having to click through endless digital voices and menus to inquire into one’s bill or terminate service with a company.

The amendment will apply to all companies, including, in an unprecedented manner, also to banks and insurance companies – and will come into force in about a year. The motion was passed by a majority of 58 MKs without opposition.

According to the proposal that was passed into law, the companies will be required to allow the customer to receive a human response immediately after the choice of language, seeking assistance to address malfunctions, inquiries into one’s account and termination of the contract, in a waiting time not exceeding 6 minutes.

It was further determined, in an unprecedented manner, that the proposal will also apply to banks and insurance companies.

MK Cabel said in the plenum: “Today it seems that the competition is who will give the worst service, and the public has reached the limit; For 10 years this law has been promoted and companies have just found excuses to give bad service. We have made a real revolution, I really hope that the suffering of the customers on the line has come to an end.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)