Do You Make Your Customers Do Your Work?

Have you noticed the degree to which you are responsible for doing the work of a customer service representative? Simple example: we sift through the endless automated menus of our vendors instead of someone answering the phone and asking how they can help. Heaven forbid if your question doesn’t fit the menu – 9 times out of 10, you will be disconnected and need to start over.

I don’t know when this microtrend began, but it’s gaining steam. Recently, I requested something from my domain registrar’s tech support department, and it was clear that we were not speaking the same language. I asked the question several different ways, and with a sigh, the rep said, “I’ll explain it to you again for the third time….”

Wow. Imagine my response to their automated email follow up survey!