Picking on bankers and politicians is easy meat at the moment. Their arrogance and apparent inability to restore some of their shattered credibility by listening, and acknowledging that there might be some substance for the scorn being shown them amazing.
But this mornng i realised why. Their systens are programmed to make getting effective feedback impossible. I received an automated call from my bank, querying a transaction my wife had made while travelling overseas. This is a beneficial and welcome service, and should reinforce the relationship we have with them. However, their total reliance on automated call systems shredded that possibility. It took ten minutes, a web search, and some creative answers to voice recognition systems to get to talk to a human. The human was friendly, but totally restricted in authority, and unable to do anything of any practical use. My wife will now have to talk to their international robot in the middle of the night in a time zone far far away. We have been with the bank for over 30 years, but I suspect it will not make 31.
But the point of this is not a diatribe at the banks - as I say, they are just too easy a target. The thought that struck me was that many of us are in glass houses, and have to be wary of throwing stones. In my own businesses we do not use any form of automated systems. The phone is always answered by humans, and our mobiles are given to all our customers, to be answered at any time.
But what about our web sites and other direct contact substitutes? Do they behave like the banks, and make it clear that we want to do anything other than talk to our customers? As one fascinated by the potential of technology, it came as a real and immediate reminder that people do business with people, not systems, and that the banks ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is not isolated.
I'm reviewing all my points of contact. Now. On a bank holiday Saturday. It is that important.
But this mornng i realised why. Their systens are programmed to make getting effective feedback impossible. I received an automated call from my bank, querying a transaction my wife had made while travelling overseas. This is a beneficial and welcome service, and should reinforce the relationship we have with them. However, their total reliance on automated call systems shredded that possibility. It took ten minutes, a web search, and some creative answers to voice recognition systems to get to talk to a human. The human was friendly, but totally restricted in authority, and unable to do anything of any practical use. My wife will now have to talk to their international robot in the middle of the night in a time zone far far away. We have been with the bank for over 30 years, but I suspect it will not make 31.
But the point of this is not a diatribe at the banks - as I say, they are just too easy a target. The thought that struck me was that many of us are in glass houses, and have to be wary of throwing stones. In my own businesses we do not use any form of automated systems. The phone is always answered by humans, and our mobiles are given to all our customers, to be answered at any time.
But what about our web sites and other direct contact substitutes? Do they behave like the banks, and make it clear that we want to do anything other than talk to our customers? As one fascinated by the potential of technology, it came as a real and immediate reminder that people do business with people, not systems, and that the banks ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is not isolated.
I'm reviewing all my points of contact. Now. On a bank holiday Saturday. It is that important.
Comments