Every time I call my bank’s customer service hotline, I go straight for the “Lost and Stolen Card” option so I can speak directly to a customer service officer. There has been the occasional time when I’ve tried following the instructions and I’ve been burnt every single time as it’s typically resulted in the automated voice telling me to go check the website.
Of course I know I could go check the website. I call because the website hasn’t helped. I call because I’m frustrated or need a problem fixed.
Your customer service exists to make customers feel helped. If a customer has to call customer service, it means some damage has already been done. If you’re going to make the customer go through more pain to just speak to a human being, it’s beating the purpose.
Ditch the options. Connect me to the human being. Put me in a queue for a reasonable period of time, if necessary. But don’t assume your automated voice can solve my problems. It may feel efficient but it’s not effective. If you are pushing customers away, then you’ve just lost the plot.
PS: Of course, the curative approach is to design things in a way that minimizes customer service queries. But if queries are going to come anyway, you might as well get that part right.
A Learning a Day 