Does anyone work anymore?

It seems everything online is automated doesn’t it?  There is almost no customer service anywhere anymore.  Will this be the new norm?

There’s no doubt that automated customer service is on the rise. Companies are increasingly turning to AI and other automated technologies to handle customer queries and requests.

This trend is being driven by a number of factors, including the need to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Automated customer service can help organizations speed up response times, improve accuracy and boost customer satisfaction levels.

However, there are some downsides to automated customer service that should be considered. For example, automated systems can often struggle to deal with complex queries or requests. They can also create a sense of distance between the customer and the company.

Many customer service interactions are now done through automated chatbots or AI systems. This can be frustrating for customers who are used to speaking to a human.

It seems like everything is automated these days. You can order your groceries online and have them delivered to your door without ever speaking to a human being. You can book your travel plans using AI chatbots that are always available, day or night. Even customer service is increasingly automated, with automated phone systems and chatbots handling many inquiries.

But what happens when you need to speak to a live person? Is it even possible to reach customer service these days?

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to reach a live customer service representative. automated systems are often used in an attempt to save money, but this can sometimes result in frustration for customers who just want to speak to a real person.  This can be even trickier when dealing with the booming trend of affiliate marketing.

For example, I purchased a product online.  When there were problems with it, I was obviously dealing with the affiliate marketing teams automated response.  When I went through immense trouble to actually find a real person via their online chat, they informed me that they were only the affiliate marketing for the business, and that I would have to email the info@ for the actual company.  I did so for one week and a half and received zero response.  So is this the new norm?  Take my money and leave me out to dry?

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to speak to customer service, there are a few things you can do. First, try to use the automated system to reach a live person. Many times, you can do this by pressing a certain number of buttons or following the automated prompts.

If that doesn’t work, try looking for the company’s customer service number on their website. You may have to do a bit of digging, but it will be worth it to get in touch with a real person.

And if all else fails, you can always take to social media to reach out to the company. Twitter is often a good place to start, as many companies are monitoring their social media accounts and will respond quickly to any customer service inquiries.  But then again, speaking of Twitter, this is also disappointing.  I have several Twitter accounts for business.  One of the accounts I haven’t used in a long time, and just recently started to use it again.  I have been unable to connect to anyone at all.

Their automated reply states that if you try and connect to or follow many at a time, it will block you for a little while.  Well, it’s been months and nothing has changed.  There is zero customer service anywhere other than @TwitterSupport, which has sadly ignored me repeatedly as well.  It’s been 3 months and no one has responded to me at all about this.  I sure hope @elonmusk can do something about this.

And then there is Facebook.  Again, I run several business pages on Facebook, and it is all tied to my personal account. I belong to several “groups” on my personal page, as well as business page.  Let’s take one example.  I am on several groups for capital raising.  I had a client seeking capital, and as such, I posted the pitch into 5 of the groups (which are specifically what the groups are meant for).  Because it was the same post repeatedly, FB apparently thinks I am a spammer or something, and put me into Facebook Jail.  Now, this affects all of my business pages, as well as my personal page.  And who do you speak to to resolve this?  No one.  You just have to wait.  I did everything I could, but you just have to wait until FB gets around to is.

Now don’t give up if you can’t reach customer service right away. There are ways to get in touch with a real person, you just have to be creative. automated systems may be convenient, but they can’t always provide the customer service that you need.

It’s not clear yet what the long-term effects of this shift will be. Will we see fewer jobs for customer service representatives? Or will businesses find new ways to use automation? Only time will tell.

If you still can’t reach a customer service representative, your last resort is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

If there are ever any topics that you’d like me to cover, by all means — tell me. I am happy to talk about anything — especially something that will help “you”.

Contact us to learn how we can help YOU in your Marketing/Investor Relations/Public Relations and Media Relations — we are experts in our field and can guide you in your marketing endeavors.

Patricia Baronowski-Schneider

President

Pristine Advisers

Tel: 631–756–2486 | Fax: 646–933–0177

E-mail: pbaronowski@pristineadvisers.com

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