Humanity in Service

I have a question for you, How Human is your customer service?

I don't think that we can go around the room and assign a numerical value to the level of humanity that is baked into a companies service organization. But I do think it is a fair question to ask and a question that many customers ask themselves subconsciously when making a choice between doing business with Vendor X or Vendor Y.

I work in the technology industry in customer service, so I am naturally a big fan of using technology for the things that it makes sense to automate. But, I am also a traditionalist in the sense that I believe that there are things that just make it simpler, faster and an overall better customer experience if you handle in a human to human interaction. For example, I was on an airlines voice self service the other day and I was trying to buy a ticket with a voucher. I walked through their prompting and it actually did a pretty nice job of understanding me and putting my trip together. But, at the end of the day, the linear and locked in fashion with which the automated system works is just too slow and too static for my taste and I am sure for many others. I could communicate exactly what I want in about half the time to a live agent and get wrapped quickly.

What the airline is thinking in this case is, "I can really save some money on this transaction because I am using a machine to do the work for me and not paying an agent to take that call." So maybe, by the time all is said and done, it might be a tad cheaper for them to keep me in that automated system. But is that small cost really worth the poor customer experience I had in having to deal with that system instead of talking to a live agent in about half the time to finish the transaction?

Working in the technology industry in service, I see a lot of different applications of technology to save money or to boost productivity. I see a lot of companies trying to find their way through the maze of technology to ensure they are picking the right one for their company. But what I am seeing a lot more of these days is the thoughtful application of that technology versus just falling in love because everyone else is. I am seeing more thought being put into what the customer experience will be instead of just what the cost savings will be.

I wish the airline would have thought about this a bit more before trapping me in the self service path when I knew it was not going to be my final stop.