Continental's Check-in by Phone

I just got robocalled by Continental for my flight tomorrow. The robot was offering to check me in, "and I can send you your boarding pass, even if you're checking a bag," it said. "Would you like me to check you in now?" I don't trust that airlines have worked out the kinks on anything cutting-edge, but I hadn't heard of phone check-in, and I figured I should go ahead and say yes, just to try it out. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Yes.
Robot: OK, great. [beeping noise] You're on [flight info]. Will you be carrying an infant in your lap?
Me: No.
Robot: OK. [beeping noise] I'm sorry, I can't check you in right now. You can always check in online, though.

I don't want the airline calling me unless my flight is delayed or canceled, let alone to waste my time. How did it not know in advance whether it could check me in or not?

P.S. I forgot my favorite part: The robot called me Erika, because my middle initial is A.