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Can I Just Talk to a Human?

Updated: Jun 8, 2022

Recently, I called a recreational company to ask questions about their program and potentially sign my daughter up for a team sport. I had first gone to the website, was required to make a login in order to see a play schedule and then realized I had missed the cut off to register. I then called and reached a voice recording that recommended I go to the website for any questions and to register. I HAD JUST GONE TO THE WEBSITE AND COULD NOT GET THE INFORMATION I WAS LOOKING FOR! Next, the recording gave me a list of names, whom I did not know. I pressed a random extension and was taken to another voicemail recording. I really needed the information quickly and did not want to leave a message only to wait for a call back. It was 11am on a Thursday, normal business hours. I hung up and tried again, choosing another random extension, only to get another voicemail recording. I tried one more time and alas someone answered! The gentleman on the phone was knowledgeable, and I was able to register my daughter over the phone. Had no one answered, however, I may have just given up and they would have lost a new customer. This was not a good customer experience for me. Websites can be informative, but sometimes we need to talk to a person!


In this day and age, technology is highly relied upon to run aspects of our businesses and assist with the customer experience. In many ways, this is a good thing, allowing business to be more efficient, gain in profitability, and streamline processes to take some tasks off our plate. But what are we losing in this high-tech, automated world when sometimes customers just want to talk to a person?


According to Forbes, 74% of customers would stop doing business with a company that has a “High Customer Effort Score,” meaning it’s hard to do business with the company. Ultimately, customers want information and they want it quickly.


There has got to be a balance between utilizing technology, but also incorporating the human touch. We can never become too reliant on our technology solutions or too busy to offer our customers and prospective customers our time and our voice by simply picking up the phone.


How does your company ensure a frictionless communication experience for its customers?


By Leah Lanius, Owner & Founder



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