When I called Sirius/XM's 888-601-6296 phone number, an automated system answered. Instead of the typical robotic voice, the company uses an expressive female (but still digital) voice. It somewhat warmed up the call but caught me off guard several times; there's almost too much emotion to it. She sometimes sounds condescending, scolding, or even sensual. I know that's a silly nitpick, but it truly weirded me out at times. Maybe it's the audio version of the uncanny valley effect.
The system started by asking me to say the ten-digit phone number associated with my account, say I'm a new customer if I don't have an account, or say "I don't have it." You can also enter a phone number with the keypad. If you provide a number that it can't find an account for, it asks for your account number. If you don't have that, it asks you to describe the reason for calling in a few words and gives a few examples.
I said I was a new customer and it gave me three options. I could say "sign up for service," "receive activation signal," or "get help with my radio." The first and third options both get you to a customer service representative. The second option asks for a few different ID numbers, depending on what you have. Whenever you can't provide a response to the spoken menu system, it repeats once before asking you to describe your problem. It seems this will always send you to a rep. I also found that pressing zero during the first menu will take you there.
Before transferring you, the menu offers text support and asks if you want a rep to send you a message. If you say yes, it asks for your phone number. If you say no, it sends you straight to a person. The text option didn't work for me; after giving it my number, I was transferred to a rep and never received a message. It's refreshingly easy to reach a human through this system, though. I was only on hold for a few seconds before a rep answered. He was straightforward and professional. He gave me detailed instructions on finding the information he needed on my radio, and he was patient while I found it. It didn't take long to fix my issue.
It seems that most people call to set up a new account, troubleshoot basic issues, and cancel their service. The menu lines up with those needs. Even though the system offers several options, they all lead you to a customer service rep. The SiriusXM website has a lot of resources and live chat support, but you're encouraged to call them to cancel. They also have a form you can fill out if your issue wasn't resolved.