(read in digital voice)
Hello, (pause)
Your call is important to us. We are unable to take you call at this time. (what?)
If you wish to change your account details press 1
If you’d like to listen to your account balance press 2
If you’d like to make a payment press 3
If you’d like to hear these options again press 4
If you wish to talk to an operator press 0 – the expected wait time is: 17 minutes…..
I hang up. My call is not important to them.
What surprises me is that companies spend millions on TV advertising attempting to create an interaction with potential customers who aren’t listening. Then when people try to interact with the same company, they get given the machine – the finger.
Most companies invest in the wrong area. Automation is only a benefit when it increases interactions with people. When it facilitates the conversation, not circumvents it. It’s a classic case of balance sheet marketing.
Everything big companies do here is wrong.
Start ups: Talk to your people. Give them a real phone number to ring with a real person at the end of the line. Be there when they call. Have a conversation. Make it personal. Over invest in this area.