News - Council adds a holographic assistant to its reception team

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Brent Council has spent £12,000 on ‘Shanice’ who will assist you when you visit Civic Hall.

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Read more.

So a 'human solution' (receptionist) that answers the same simple questions over and over again (and only that) is on £30k a year?

Think I can tell em where they might be going wrong...

Did anybody else think of a different Rimmer?

Yet Another Not-A-Hologram. It's not even Pepper's Ghost, it's just a flat image directly projected onto a translucent membrane. It's not volumetric, it's not holographic, it's not multi-angle, it's not even bloody stereographic!

Beyonce really must be stuck for cash.

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Originally Posted by edzieba

Yet Another Not-A-Hologram. It's not even Pepper's Ghost, it's just a flat image directly projected onto a translucent membrane. It's not volumetric, it's not holographic, it's not multi-angle, it's not even bloody stereographic!

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That's what I was thinking. There's nothing remotely 3d about this, it's just a 2d projection, ergo, not a hologram.

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Originally Posted by Odeas

So a 'human solution' (receptionist) that answers the same simple questions over and over again (and only that) is on £30k a year?

Think I can tell em where they might be going wrong...

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I suspect reception is staffed more than 37.5 hrs a week and would probably require at least 2 staff members (otherwise breaks = closed), there are also other non-salary costs to hiring people (employers NI, software licensing for their PC, overhead on support staff).

It's one of the main reasons factories like automation, although the acquisition cost is higher the TCO over 3-5 years is probably a lot lower.

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Originally Posted by kingpotnoodle

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Originally Posted by Odeas

So a 'human solution' (receptionist) that answers the same simple questions over and over again (and only that) is on £30k a year?

Think I can tell em where they might be going wrong...

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I suspect reception is staffed more than 37.5 hrs a week and would probably require at least 2 staff members (otherwise breaks = closed), there are also other non-salary costs to hiring people (employers NI, software licensing for their PC, overhead on support staff).

It's one of the main reasons factories like automation, although the acquisition cost is higher the TCO over 3-5 years is probably a lot lower.

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Yes but this isn't replacing the reception staff its being put along side them, ergo a complete waste.

You think people are gonna faf around poking at this to get directions or just ask the receptionist next to it which way to go?

So what does this achieve that a touch screen computer wouldn't!? Heck, a touch screen would be updated daily, unlike getting the actress back in to voice new phrases! You could also have a couple of them to cut queues and faaar less likely for people to get the 'shouty angry' syndrome everyone suffers when talking to voice recognition machines.

I'd be furious if my council went and spent money on this gimmic - esp in the current climate.

"Austerity". For local govmt this word means "Let's do utterly moronic things in the name of short term cost reduction."

Butuz

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Originally Posted by Odeas

So a 'human solution' (receptionist) that answers the same simple questions over and over again (and only that) is on £30k a year?

Think I can tell em where they might be going wrong...

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The maybe so but a receptionist does not just direct people on where to go, they also do filing and data entries. So in essence they would still need to higher a part time work for £15k

She isn't attractive and did she get electrocuted ? There's no excuse for bad hair like that in this day and age

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Originally Posted by Ksyruz

The maybe so but a receptionist does not just direct people on where to go, they also do filing and data entries. So in essence they would still need to higher a part time work for £15k

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I know a receptionist doesn't just direct people but thats all this sign will do.
You could also hire someone to do only that (ok call them a customer co-ordinator or something).

Instead of a hologram *cough*projector*cough* either hire someone just out of school/college or get a couple of good sized touchscreens with multi-language questions/answers.

They had almost the same thing in my local ASDA recently which just said the same things on a loop. Was just a plexiglass generic cutout of a person with a short throw projector behind it.
I thought it looked like a load of rubbish so why this is costing £12k is beyond me.

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Originally Posted by Odeas

I thought it looked like a load of rubbish so why this is costing £12k is beyond me.

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....because it is a government contract, so the paperwork, hoops, red tape, beurcracy etc involved each add to the total cost. The fact she is 'mixed race' isn't by accident and all the research & 'Political correctness' aspects of it would have to be researched, reviewed, and decided upon by a team of councillors.

You can bet your bottom dollar that it is the most cheap & basic tech behind it but charged at an eye watering amount due to tech-ignorant council employees being led by their nose.

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Originally Posted by OilSheikh

She isn't attractive and did she get electrocuted ? There's no excuse for bad hair like that in this day and age

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Must you be attractive and have a tidy bob haircut to give directions? Perhaps you've been in the TOWIE section of Essex too long...

EDIT: On reviewing the pictures I have to say also she is above average attractiveness, so WTF are you on about?

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Originally Posted by Andehh

You can bet your bottom dollar that it is the most cheap & basic tech behind it but charged at an eye watering amount due to tech-ignorant council employees being led by their nose.

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There was a non-interactive version of this in the Homebase in Ruislip so it can't be that pricey (a back projected woman who waved her hands), I found it kind of creepy, the voice intonation was like something in dystopian Sci-Fi... like the "Do you want to know more?" in Starship Troopers or the advertising in Minority Report.