In a move to save approximately $26,000 per year in salary for a living, breathing human receptionist capable of directing people wherever they need to go, the leaders at London’s Brent Council decided that they’d rather spend about $18,000 (or £12,000) for a one-time fee to set up a hologram receptionist that can answer limited questions about services in the government building and will undoubtedly end up pissing a lot of people off when they have to keep repeating themselves.
Obviously, some of the borough’s elected officials aren’t too happy about this idea, as they think that it’s going to end up costing the council more to keep reprogramming the hologram, so it can answer even more questions and probably tell some perverts to put their pants back on. And the only reason they even need it in the first place is because people have been complaining that it’s too difficult to find individual offices.
Alison Hopkins, budget and finance spokeswoman for the opposition Lib Dems, said: “There have been complaints about signage in Brent’s new civic centre but this is a startlingly expensive way of solving the problem.
“As the council admits, Shanice can’t respond even to basic questions but is limited to a small number of pre-recorded scripts.
“I hope she has been told one of the commonest questions is: ‘ Where are the toilets?’” (Via the Evening Standard)
You know what’s cheaper than a receptionist and a hologram? A piece of paper with an arrow on it. I can make several of them, pointing in different directions. I can even write the names of specific offices of them. I’ll make as many as the Brent Council needs and it will only cost them $10,000. They’re practically ripping me off.