It has been quite a while, I know. But here I am once more, and with me, my brand new 2011 resolution to respond within my blog to some of the comments I find so often from you, my readers— even some of those you posted since last year.

So far, I have responded to you in a few sentences, but in subsequent posts, I will discuss one, two or three comments in one posting—and perhaps get your further feedback. Right now, however, bear with me as I discuss a pet peeve of mine in this posting: De-Humanizing the Customer Service Process. It is still all about communication.
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De-Humanizing the Customer Service Process

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   The Automated Voice

For many corporate decision makers, customer service bears little relation to the prosperity of their companies—or at least, that’s what they think.  And just when it seemed some companies could no more lower the quality of customer service they provide, the stark truth has become apparent.  They can, and they do.                                                                                         

 

There is an even more frightening truth: No one seems inclined to do anything about it; “it” being the not-so-new technology called automated customer service, which seems today to be taking on even wider proportions.  Here is a monster sadly plowing its way through industry, and more particularly, through the customer service departments of many organizations, leaving a trail of irate customers in its wake.

 

 

One can, perhaps, see the need for outbound voice messaging in certain situations, or even the need for a level of the interactive voice response technology at the beginning of a call.  The customer is prompted to press one, press two and yes, perhaps, even press three to get to the right department.  That’s fair. The frustration builds when this goes on relentlessly, when callers must provide an ever-increasing list of information, because “I can help you right here” says the voice.   By now, the voice has stepped outside the realm of “help” and has now become a real hindrance.  

The Voice

 

There is no respite in spite of customers’ pleas for an agent or representative, with the pleas becoming even more urgent when an obvious breakdown in communication has occurred. We get instances of this when the voice keeps saying, “Oh, I didn’t get that” or you spell your name for the third time and the voice repeats the spelling of your name incorrectly. And here’s a timely warning: hitting “0” does not always get you to a live agent, even at this point.

 
 

    The Suffering Customer

 

 

Arguments for this brand of customer service include the fact that callers are informed beforehand that the voice will ask a specific number of questions in order to get them to the right person.  But is it good customer service when—and if—the caller eventually gets to that right person, invariably, the same questions are asked all over again?

 

 

A List of Questions

 

Even a recent attempt by some organizations to make these voices “nicer” or “more competent” does not relieve the caller of the stress generated or the time wasted by this wildly inefficient and customer-unfriendly technology.  It may be true that these businesses are saving on hiring, they may even see immediate increases in revenue, since these calls are purported to cost companies only a few cents as compared with between five and seven dollars for a live agent’s call.   But does this compensate for the financial loss, when callers—customers and potential customers—in frustration, transfer their patronage to a friendlier environment elsewhere; if, indeed, there is an “elsewhere”?

And The New Yorker Has Its Say 

James Sorowiecki points out in his article, “Are You Being Served? in The New Yorker , September 6, 2010, that “Modern businesses do best at improving their performance when they can use scalable technologies that increase efficiency and drive down cost. But customer service isn’t scalable in the same way; it tends to require lots of time and one-on-one attention.”

 

One should, also, not lose sight of the fact that a satisfied customer is a great marketing tool.