Bring Back The “Human Touch”

In our quest to deliver better, faster and cheaper, we continue to leverage technology to automate processes in order to reduce cost. But where should the line be drawn? Have we gone too far? Is the automation of customer service actually hurting your business by driving customers away? While some automation and self help is desirable, I personally feel we have gone too far in dehumanizing customer service and therefore are negatively affecting the customer’s experience.

Don’t get me wrong, as a consumer, I rely heavily on the internet to research and troubleshoot various “issues.” In recent years, great strides have been made to “improve” automated, self-service offerings. We’ve moved from static FAQ pages on a web site to knowledge centers using complex logic to ask questions, find similar problems and offer possible solutions. We’ve even developed email solutions that can recognize emotion within text and intelligently leverage that information to provide a possible solution. For example, if profanity is detected in an email from a valuable client, the system immediately alerts a service agent trained in relationship recovery tactics. But for all the improvements being made, these solutions still force the customer to do the work and their ability to solve problems is still limited.

I think it’s safe to assume we’ve all been at this point at least once; we’ve worked through all the self-service options and still find our question unanswered. Now comes the task of trying to find a phone number for customer service. Like finding a needle in a haystack, many companies purposely make it difficult to find phone numbers, or in some cases don’t list them on their web site at all, in hopes that you will first leverage self-service options.

I’d like to think I’m painting a picture that’s darker than reality, but in far too many cases, this is the customer’s reality. Customers are forced to jump through hoops just to get assistance. All is not lost however, many companies have come to realize in our competitive marketplace, that improving their customer’s experience provides an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competition. This is the goal of Netflix, an online movie subscription company based in Los Gatos, California. As reported in an article in the New York Times, Netflix is bucking current customer service trends and has eliminated all email-based customer service and opted instead to direct all customer inquiries to their Hillsboro, Oregon call center. Notable here also is their decision to keep the call center local instead of outsourcing as many companies have chosen to do.

Netflix market share is slipping as a major competitor, Blockbuster, expands into the online-home-delivery service. While both companies essentially provide the same service, Netflix is hoping that by providing a more personal level of service to their customers, they will be able to turn the trend around. Netflix has prominently placed their toll-free number on the home page of their web site and given their service representatives more discretion in deciding when to assuage disgruntled callers with bonus discs and account credits—allowing them to err on the side of generosity. Netflix places no restriction on call duration, relying instead on the representatives to use their own judgment in making sure enough time is spent to adequately address the customers concerns. 

It’s impossible to say if this will stop their market share from slipping given other variables, but I’ve got to give them credit for bucking the trends in customer service. Some may say this step away from automation is a step backwards, I believe it to be a huge step forward in providing a level of service and customer experience that has been lost in our fast paced world. I can only hope this is a trend that will continue.