I hate automated customer service. It's alright when I want basic information like account balance, delivery date and things like that.
But more often than not, I call customer service because I have a problem. That is the time when I want to get to someone soon and talk to someone real. But when was the last time you got a real person on the phone? It's mostly about listening to voice messages in three different languages, annoying advertisements, pressing 1,2,3... in several layers. It doesn't seem to have much to do with either customer or service.
Customer service has always been around. Twenty years ago we didn't have call centres and IVR systems. What we had was a phone number where we spoke to a real person or an office address where we could meet people in flesh and blood. Today, all we have are automated choices for a limited set of problems.
When it comes to dealing with customers, it’s all about human psychology. Even where the problem is the same, different customers need to be dealt with differently depending on their mood, state of mind, urgency etc. A computer just doesn't understand human idiosyncrasies.
Despite the importance of involving psychology in customer service practices, why are businesses totally neglecting it? Is it only about cost? What about making the customer feel secure and comfortable? How about taking care of customer anxieties? Especially, in a field where not much is stereotype, why are solutions designed as if they are stereotype. I just don't get it.
I don't mind the idea of self-service but when i am stuck, I want a face and a name. I want a real person!
