Thursday, December 14, 2017

Don't call us, we'll call you

Well, it had to happen at some point.  It's been sixteen years after all.

I spoke with customer service at Amazon. 

This, it turns out, is not something easily accomplished.  Go ahead, go to their web site and find a number to call.  I'll give you five minutes. See you back here.

Did you find a number?  I'm impressed.  The most bleeding edge, innovative, pervasive consumer-focused business in the world and it took me sixteen years (and a little more than five minutes) to get on the phone with them.  And they were on their game the minute I spoke with them.  As I sell customer service and engagement systems that help business establish commerce and service processes across communications channels, I am professionally intrigued and a little impressed:

First of all, the phone number is a bit of a wild goose chase.  They do such a good job of self service for returns and other common processes you don't need to call them. Talking with them is truly the last option, both by design and by customer desire.

And here's the kicker: you don't call Amazon, they call you. 

When you finally go down the rabbit hole far enough, you'll find a place to punch in your phone number and they'll call you: now or in five minutes, your choice.  Not sure who wants to be called in five minutes as opposed to now, but it's an option so there's probably a good reason for it.  In my case, I entered my cell phone number, clicked a button, and my phone started ringing. 

Amazon calling!

...Which gave their systems time to connect to an agent and pop her screen with information about me- a lot of information, it turns out, including my cell phone number which they now have- and simply confirm that it was me she was speaking with.  Through our brief conversation, she had the exact date of the transaction in question in front of her, how many transactions had occurred since then (fourteen, it turns out), had visibility to Mrs. Toadroller's account and orders, and was empowered to resolve the issue.

Customer service: rare, clever, empowered, gathering, informed, complete.  I probably won't need to talk with them for another sixteen years.

Of course, calling on a phone is so early 21st century.  I don't doubt that should the Toadroller household have an Alexa device, or maybe a Fire-TV (Alexa enabled), I could, probably with five minutes of verbal sparring, get through to a human.  That used to be called OnStar, I think.  But there's Siri, Cortana, "Ok Google"; there are ChatBots, AI, Machine Learning, IOT signals, Predictive Service, Twitter, Facebook... uh... email.  what's the consumer's choice of convenient communication channel?  As a customer support organization, that's where you need to be.

Why make them "press or say one" for service?

Don't call us, we'll call you.