There are days I just don’t know what I want.
Sometimes I want human contact and other times I think the world is too “people-y” and I want to avoid it at all costs.
This has become a real social issue.
It's clear that most companies and businesses would prefer not to deal with me in person. Well, not me personally, but customers in general.
The thing is, I don’t really believe that you have an unusual volume of calls today nor that my call is that important to you. I think you want me to get frustrated and hang up. I think you want me to go to your website – your cold, confusing, zero help website – which usually doesn’t include your phone number at all.
Have you tried to reach a human being by phone lately?
I was recently trying to fill out a government form – you know those government forms that are super confusing. There is absolutely no way to reach a living breathing person to ask a question. It was repeatedly suggested to me, by the robot on the phone, that I could fill out this form online. If I wanted to do it that way I would have.
The recording actually said these words: “If you have filled out the document properly, there is no need to speak with a representative. Good-bye."
If you are a little slow on the draw with pressing (1) or (2) or (#) or (*) then, my friends, you will be disconnected. How rude!
Here’s the dilemma.
Sometimes I don’t want to talk to a person. That’s true.
However, when you really need some advice, I would really appreciate a kind, knowledgeable person with a pulse on the other end of the phone. Everyone is already on their phones anyway so why can’t they talk to me?
I admit to being old school.
I still want to be greeted at an office by a receptionist.
I would prefer seeing a person working at the parking kiosk, the bank, the grocery store and the restaurant. It's not even so much that I am too lazy to serve myself (although my spirit animal is the sloth), it's also that I like some social contact. I think it's good for the soul. Social skills are still important.
There is also a lot of frustration with companies that prefer you do the work to keep them from having to send out a technician. There is always that dreaded question: “Have you run through steps one through five as found on our website? If not, please do those and then call back if necessary. Goodbye.”
With all due respect, if I wanted to learn to fix my own equipment I would have gone to “fix your own equipment” school. I don’t. I want to talk to a person who will put me in touch with another person who will show up at my house and do the fixing.
I understand this sounds like someone who doesn’t know what she really wants. I guess that’s true. I don’t want automation to take people’s jobs away, yet I can see the importance of progress and the convenience of gadgets.
I want the efficiency of do-it-myself ordering in some cases, yet I want personal service in others. I assume that is the struggle businesses are dealing with – what does the customer/client/public want and how can we deliver?
Sometimes Siri just doesn’t have the answer I need. Sometimes I just need to vent to a warm-blooded, cool-headed humanoid.
Anybody there???
