ON some occasions, it is preferable to interact with an impersonal computing device to get some customer service. If you have ever visited an eCommerce website to do some last minute shopping in the middle of the night, then you know exactly how convenient it is to do so. Such convenience is hard to beat, as compared to waiting impatiently for the next working day to do your shopping. The use of online banking services, ATMs, and telephone information services all empower us to help ourselves in our own time.
Anything which requires a customer to visit in person, repeatedly, is high on the list of services to be criticised since it robs us of our time. Unfortunately, we have some examples of such forced personal and interactive service. Having recently reported issues with my phone service, I had no choice but to visit the service provider. Ironically, that advice to visit the store was received after spending almost an hour on the phone trying to speak to a knowledgeable and empowered representative!
Truly, when a telecommunications provider requires you to visit face to face to resolve an issue, then you know you have problems. As a discerning customer, could you assess whether such a visit is even necessary? I believe so.
Some years ago, while living overseas, I called the British Airways London line after hours, to arrange a flight home. When the call was answered, it was only by the accent that I could tell that the call was answered in the USA. That call was transparently rerouted to New York and I received the same quality of service expected locally. That was admirable service, delivered by an airline, not a telecommunications provider, almost twenty years ago.
Needless to say, expectations have continued to rise, as they should. Are we being forced to spend time in a slow moving queue, when powerful, tried-and-tested, world-class alternatives already exist? Do you sometimes just wish for an impersonal service, delivered via an app, or a website?
Alternatively, if you provide a service to the customer, do you have the ability to save them time by not forcing a face to face visit? If you don’t, perhaps you should be thinking of doing so.
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To share your views, contact the author at: www.datashore.net or via The VOICE.
About the Author
Dr. Lyndell St. Ville is an ICT Consultant based in Saint Lucia. His expertise includes systems analysis, design, and capacity building.