How Automation Is Ruining Customer Support
I love technology.
I love automation.
But do you know a field where I cannot stand technology or automation?
Customer support.
When I’m in crisis mode, I want to talk to a human.
Not AI.
Not AI that sounds like a human.
I want an actual person.
It’s crazy because one of the first things companies automated was customer support.
I can recall over seven years ago when those voice recordings of robots would say:
“Press 1 if you want X. Press 2 if you want Y. Blah, blah, blah.”
All I remember is pressing “0” repeatedly until I got connected to a person.
It’s like we can’t escape the robots.
And the issue is, these robots don’t understand what we want.
They often make an already bad problem worse.
Why Companies Automate Customer Support
I get why companies automate customer support.
It makes financial and time sense.
It’s expensive to have people spending hours troubleshooting customer issues one by one.
For small companies, it might be manageable.
But as a business scales, these “tiny” interactions begin to add up.
If a robot can handle most of these inquiries, why not automate it?
Or if the robot can’t handle it, outsource it to an overseas team?
At the end of the day, companies automate customer support because it saves money.
Why Automating Customer Support Is a Bad Idea
Here’s the problem:
- Instead of thinking of it as “customer support,” companies should think of it as “brand ambassadors.”
Your customers don’t know your brand’s purpose, mission statement, or “why.”
All they know is your product and the experience they have when it doesn’t work.
In moments of crisis, people make snap judgments.
I’ll never forget when my internet went out, and I called my provider.
First, I had to deal with a robot asking:
“Please describe your issue.”
I explained:
“My internet isn’t working.”
The robot paused. Then said:
“Please describe your issue.”
What the heck? I just did!
It took me 17 minutes to get connected to a human.
In a moment of crisis, 17 minutes feels like 45 minutes.
And when I finally reached a human, they transferred me to another department.
Another 14 minutes wasted.
During that frustrating experience, I wasn’t thinking about the company’s mission statement or values.
I was thinking about how poorly I was being treated.
Should Companies Completely Stop Automating Customer Support?
I don’t believe in extreme solutions.
Both automation and human interaction have their place.
Automation is excellent for categorizing issues.
It can identify whether a customer is calling about billing, hardware, or technical problems and then route them to the right department.
But automation is awful at resolving the issues.
That’s where humans come in.
For example, when I call about a faulty internet connection:
- I’m fine with automated customer support greeting me and collecting information.
- Once the issue is identified, I want to be connected to a human ASAP with a clear countdown timer.
Instead of awkward elevator music, have the robot say:
“You’re looking at a 7-minute wait.”
Small updates like that can ease frustration.
The robot’s job should be to make the human’s job easier, not replace them.
When the customer and support rep are finally connected, the rep should already have all the relevant details and be ready to help.
Customer Support Is in a State of Despair
With the rise of automation, the two most important jobs of the future will be:
- Production support — managing technology to ensure smooth operation.
- Customer support — working with clients to ensure a smooth user experience.
These roles need to be treated like careers, not afterthoughts.
Unfortunately, customer support is often seen as an entry-level job.
And when customers complain about poor service, they’re labeled as “Karens” instead of being listened to.
Rather than fix what’s broken, companies try to patch things up with more technology.
But certain jobs need a human element.
Humans crave human connection, especially in moments of crisis.
If you take one thing from this post, let it be this:
- “Customer support = brand ambassadors.”
How you treat customers during tough times will shape their perception of your brand.
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