Be it service providers, insurance, banking, digital television networks or even your local council.... how long does it take before speaking to a human being?? http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/the-beauty-of-pressing-buttons 2007-03-19T07:45:17Z dawnrobson6 http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/dawnrobson6 http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/the-beauty-of-pressing-buttons#comment1 2006-12-06T00:23:33Z digiammarco http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/digiammarco Touch the button that says "subscribe to our services" and they immediately pick up. Touch the connection to customer service and go through nightmare. This is what makes me and many people HATE some companies... http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/the-beauty-of-pressing-buttons#comment2 2006-12-06T03:17:07Z chrisek http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/chrisek I like automated services. I don't like waiting to hear my options. For some reason the one I want is always at the end of the list making me wait through half a dozen other options. I also don't like being caught in an endless loop when you can't find an option that relates to your problem and a operator option is not available. That's just bad customer service. Maybe automated services should be saved for simple routine tasks and leave the major issues for a person to resolve. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/the-beauty-of-pressing-buttons#comment3 2006-12-08T08:42:41Z Champ http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/champ I think the idea of customer service is slowly being lost by most corporations. They are more concerned with selling products to consumers, not trying to help them when something goes wrong. That would require extra costs that takes away from their profit. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/the-beauty-of-pressing-buttons#comment4 2006-12-20T15:19:37Z Alexkaatsch http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/alexkaatsch I guess that until we get AI's, we need people to help us. We all know that automated systems are such utter rubbish they make you scream.... I presume they are there to save money (probably quite a lot), but they only interface with us when we least need to experience their unique kind of misery... when we are seeking help. Any business or service provider blatently shows its colours by engaging in this practice by pandering to share-holders through cost-savings and spitting at us, the customer by reacting to a call for help with a slap in the face..... the worst of all is that neither reason is good for business ultimately. Just look at BT...... a company with an atrocious customer relations record. It is also loosing customer base like a fatal haemorage.... nobody likes the wretched company although, doubtless, it's run on the whole by similar individuals as are in any other company that is well thought of . The only difference is in the customer-relations department whose remit is ultimately at the behest of the board of directors. They seem greedy, callous, utterly uncaring and liars too.... irrespective of any other contrary truths that might hold sway. So.... people are best. Stupid machines are worse than useless. Use people.