Automated Systems

Today I was on the phone trying to make some important calls for some important things and kept on getting redirected by this automated system and it annoyed me as usual. The most crazy thing about an automated system is that you sometimes only want one question answered. Taking you through loops, and making you spend your time on the phone waiting for your specific number code that matches your question(s) that you want answered. Now I've never really liked the automated service system because it feels as if what you want to get across is falling on deaf ears.

Q) How many people feel the same way about automated systems as I do?

A)The many discussions I have had with people after getting off the phone with an automated system I would say a large population of the people feel the same as I do. People love to interact or feel as if they are being heard and it is simply known that the automated system does not have any of those qualities. Just to hear the voice of someone that actually has feelings and understand what and why you feel the way you do is a plus in it self. Even if it is to just yell and get your point across.

Another reason I truly hate the automated systems is the fact that it takes away from potential employment for someone who may need a job. With the way that today's economy is, this would probably decrease the unemployment rate drastically, with all these companies that invested into the systems. People would have jobs to train the employees on how to be customer service friendly and much more. But being cost efficient is what companies yearn for and do not second guest when something new to help them save money comes along.

Q) So should companies have a time line when the automated systems should be active and when a true person is strictly answering your questions from the start of the call?...Giving back to the people, balancing out there funds so that we may find the greater of two evils.

A)I think that the solution would be to balance out the time line of when the automated service is constantly answering and directing your calls. This will allow people to have an income, but may cost the company more money than they would like to spend.

I mean lets think about it on a customer service stand point. I have to call a company and find out information that is valuable for me to know, just to speak to an automated system. I'm wasting my time, my money because my cell phone charges me for every minute that I use during the day (for those who have a monthly bill and do not have unlimited minutes). I am also loosing my cool and my blood pressure is rising due to the fact that the automated system has me either repeating myself too much or didn't get the correct number I pressed, for some reason.

Q)So have companies faded away from the true customer service way of life...? Just to save some money and increase the companies worth. And should companies go back to having more customer service agents representing the company offering great customer service?

A) I am saying yes to both questions. I know that most of these companies eventually have a representative answer the call after the automated service has redirected you. By then you are either tired of waiting and furious and taking out your anger on the representative answering the call. Now depending on why you are calling may have stopped you from getting that way, if you originally had someone to talk to.
Companies have been and will always be in the best interest of the company, now how they go about it differs from company to company. Most companies say that pleasing the customer with great customer service is the way they go about it, and other companies take different approaches and fading away from true customer service by allowing these automated systems to help manage calls is one of them. They feel as if these machines will provide a swift and efficient way of customer satisfaction, but I don't how. In my mind customer service has turned into a myth or some kind of folk tale.