by Annette
7. March 2007
Yesterday I was in e-commerce hell. We've all been there before: You have a problem that isn't listed in FAQ's. You can't wait 24 hours for the e-mail contact to respond. You cave and decide you have to call customer service. You search around for a live phone number because one isn't mentioned on the Contact Us page. You get stuck in a phone tree and then put on hold for 20 minutes. You talk to someone who says it will take three days(!) to process your request. You escalate the "order" to a supervisor. You ask how to get back in touch if you get cut off and learn you have to go back to the phone tree. You wonder if you can hang yourself from its branches.
While corporations have reaped great efficiencies by pushing customers to transact with websites, they do so at the risk of being perceived as arrogant and unresponsive. Interacting with the if/then choices of an algorithm can't be disguised as anything other than a one-way conversation. The corporate brand is saying, "I was born a bad listener. I am still a bad listener and will always be a bad listener." The little "Was this answer helpful?" tags drive home the point that you are really just talking to the Hand.
Great opportunities exist for firms who can innovate by humanizing the e-commerce experience. On-line chat and wiki features are the obvious first steps. But a great big world is waiting for companies who can pioneer true dialogue in the on-line enterprise. Empathy is a business strategy that works.
