Like many I am in the middle of moving house. One of the key tasks is to contact numerous organisations to inform them of your change of address together with rearranging payment details for a number of services. During my lifetime I have moved house several times. My current experience is far more problematic than ever before.
It is clear that large organisations do not really want to engage with their customers. Frequently when information does get sent to you in the post there is no reply address for you to write back. Instead there is a website and a telephone number. Contact by telephone is chiefly required by use of a mobile phone. Having a mobile phone together with an email address seems to be an essential if you want to stand any chance of contact with major organisations.
We must all accept that modern technology is here to stay. We have no choice but to use it in our interactions with big companies and major organisations. However, the system that has now replaced good old pen and paper and direct speaking to customer services is not working for the benefit of the customer.
The first problem is the telephone contact. It usually goes something like this. You phone the main number. If you avoid the music for the first quarter of an hour it then follows a set pattern. ‘Thank you for calling us today your call is important to us.’ This is then followed by a list of options to theoretically direct your inquiry to a useful agent who will answer your questions. If however you press one of six options you then get an automated response. You are then left on hold listening to more music. This is frequently interrupted by a message to tell you that you could hang up and go online. This is annoying since you are already using the phone.
As the music drones on a further interruption takes place with a message telling you of all the things the organisation can help you with including products you might like to buy. Yet again this is annoying and not what you want to hear.
If after hours you eventually get to speak to a real live person there are other hurdles to overcome. These are in the form of security questions. What is the inside leg measurement of your grandfather? What is your customer reference number and your date of birth? It you want to pay for services you must give lots of financial details and are then told to check your mobile phone for an OTP (One time password) to enable you to complete the transaction. You now pray that your mobile phone still has a signal and enough battery life to see you through the ordeal. This is of course assuming you have actually got through to anyone. Often we have had to listen to an animated voice telling us that all their agents are currently busy and that you are 2000th in the queue.
To rub salt in the wound we are thanked for our patience which we lost long ago. Whilst I have exaggerated my analysis it is not that far from reality.
Using websites and paying online is not without risk. Scams and hackers and system failings are not uncommon. By getting you to use emails organisations can and do take their own good time to reply. A message is sent saying they have your email and it will get dealt with sometime soon. Life was so much simpler when you got a personal service. All the current contact systems are primarily for the benefit of the company not the customer especially the elderly. With no phone or email they are left in the cold. I am far from convinced that my call was important to them.