iPhone only: Fonolo is a clever webapp for bypassing automated calling trees when phoning corporate customer service lines. Now the service has an iPhone app with the same great features as the site, but with more in-your-pocket convenience.
We've mentioned Fonolo before, and we love it for how easy it makes it to skip through those annoying recorded customer service messages that make you press a bunch of numbers to get where you want to go. To use Fonolo on your iPhone, you need to first register on the service's web site. The account lets Fonolo keep a record of your past calls for quick access later, and add notes about things you want to remember. There's also an option to add account numbers, frequent flier numbers, or other numerical data you need when calling a company you're doing business with.
Once you fire up the iPhone app, just look up the number of the company you're calling from the alphabetized list. In addition to the main number, you'll also get a list of commonly called areas of the phone tree so you can route yourself to the right section in seconds. For instance, if the only reason you call your cell phone company is to check your minutes balance, Fonolo can navigate you right there without making you press 93 buttons (and the pound key!) first.
If you opt to furnish Fonolo with your phone number, the service will do all the dialing, waiting, and button pushing for you, then ring your phone when it's ready for you to pick up. The app also stores your favorite numbers so you don't have to hunt them down again later.
Fonolo's web-based service is free to use and the iPhone app doesn't cost a dime, so there's really no reason not to try it out. What tricks do you have for getting around automated phone trees? Let us know in the comments.
