All systems down

Computer customer service

‘The credit card system is down. Our database is down. We’ve been having problems with our system. It’s the system. We don’t have any control over that.’  It is beginning to sound like a conspiracy thriller in which one computer network is controlling all retail. The last few months I’ve been having customer service issues in which the employee I’m interacting with blames the problem on “the system”.

            One dealt with annoying computer generated reminder calls. I went to the physical store only to be told they cannot interact with “the system” locally. I’d have to call a help center to correct the problem.

            A second was a similar situation in which calls were made to announce the availability of a multiple item order for pick up. Upon arriving at the store I was told that only some of the items were in. Not the entire order. When I explained the call I received, guess what the answer was?, “The system is automated and we can’t interact with or change it.”

Add to these examples all the other now forgotten times when there is a problem with an account and the customer service rep blames it on “the system”.

Does automation equal poor customer service?

Are computers and the systems they support becoming an excuse for poor service? Something the employee can pass on to the customer as to why there is a problem? It shouldn’t be. Employees may not be intentionally using the excuse to pacify customers. It may be lack of information, poor training, or the culture of the company. The problem is exacerbated when customers also interact with the system and no one on the front lines can help.

After several interactions with broken or ill performing systems I’m beginning to learn that the front line person either doesn’t care or doesn’t have the access or training to handle the complaint. However, the employee on the front lines is the face of the company. They may not be empowered to resolve the problem, but they are the person trusted by the employer to deal with customers. They are “the company” from the perspective of the customer. As far as a disgruntled customer is concerned the employee is the CEO, CFO, COO, the chief of everything. Customers who own a business or are in the customer service industry understand the necessity of quality customer experience. When they are on the other side of the counter, they want the problem fixed now or at least some definitive answer as to when and how the problem will be fixed. To shrug and say, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that can be done. It’s how the system is set up”, does not send the customer off in a good mood. Nor are they likely to say anything good about the interaction, either in a conversation or online. Which is probably where the frustration will be vented.

A “system” being down affects the commerce of the company. Especially in the short attention span that is now our culture. If someone visits a site and can’t perform the function they’re attempting, they quickly move on to a competitor that can get the job done. Companies cannot afford to have malfunctioning computer systems.

Empower employees

Decision makers need to monitor their operations systems. Be aware of those that are aging or malfunctioning. Educate employees up and down the hierarchy to ensure everyone knows the capabilities and weaknesses. Get feedback from the employees that have to execute the plan and use the system to interact with customers AS the system is being developed. Get their buy in before implementation. Seek out feedback from employees after launch to find bugs and problems in the process so that they can be quickly addressed.

Please feel free to share any posts. See the blog archive for other posts regarding customer service.

Customer service in the millennial age March 2017

Lasting impression September 2016

Why am I doing all the work? November 2015

Now that’s customer service! January 2013

“Real” ID

The other day I jumped in a friend’s car for a quick errand. Doing the quick pocket check I noticed that all I had was my cell phone. Oh well, where we were going didn’t require the need for money or identification. If I did need money I could probably use the mobile pay feature. The thought did cross my mind though,  “What if I needed to identify myself to authorities”? Would security officers or the police accept the personal contact card on my phone as my identity?

Without a government issued ID isn’t your phone just like a wallet full of credit, library, reward cards, etc.? Lots of stuff with your name on it but no official identification. For the most part I doubt any police officer would accept information about you on a phone in your possession as a positive ID. They’d probably take it into consideration and just do it old school. Get all of the pertinent details and run a computer check to verify your identity.

Driver’s licenses as ID

When automobiles started roaming the countryside they and their operators were unregistered. In 1901 New York was the first state to require automobiles to be registered. Many states followed suit and required licenses for autos but not the drivers. Massachusetts and Missouri required the first personal U.S. driver’s licenses in 1903. Since that time driver’s licenses have been used not only as an affirmation that the state approved the holder to operate an automobile, but also as a form of personal identification.

Since the U.S. has no national identification cards, the driver’s license has filled that void.

Digital driver’s licenses, to be displayed on phones, are being considered in several states, Maryland being one of those. Security and privacy issues are at the forefront of these considerations. In the Apple v FBI standoff we saw how difficult it is for law enforcement to unlock and/or view information on a persons phone. So until your state adopts a digital driver’s license using your phone to identify yourself probably wouldn’t be taken as official.

Security? Using your phone probably a definite no, as you need a government issued photo ID to get in to facilities and to travel. Airlines accept digital boarding passes when backed by government issued photo DI’s. Even your standard driver’s license is changing. To combat fraud and counterfeits states have been updating licenses and the way they are issued. Although many states took up the license issue themselves, Congress ensured that all states would have to get on board passing the REAL ID Act in 2005.

REAL ID Act

The REAL ID Act set the benchmark for personal forms of identification establishing minimum security standards for driver’s license issuance and production. Further, the act prohibited federal agencies like the TSA from accepting driver’s licenses from states that do not meet the standards. The deadline set by the act is January 22, 2018. After that date residents of all states will need a Real ID Act compliant driver’s license or a passport to pass through airport security.

The act requires that driver’s licenses include all the identification features you would assume but also digital photographs, physical security features that prevent tampering or counterfeiting, and machine readable technology (barcodes/magnetic stripers). As the concept of digital driver’s licenses is being studied, the effective date of the REAL ID Act in 2018 will either extend or quash those studies.

List of REAL ID compliant states can be found on the Department of Homeland Security page, REAL-ID 

While you could probably identify yourself with the contents of your phone it is doubtful you’d get through a serious police encounter. You certainly couldn’t board an airplane. Probably better to add “license” to your pocket checklist.

Read the blog archives for another post about personal identification.

Can I see some ID? February 2014

Backup Safety

There was another report of a family member backing up in the driveway, running over, and killing their own child. When a parent loses a child the pain must be unfathomable. To be the cause through an accident is beyond imagination.

The child safety advocacy KidsandCars.org reports that over fifty children are backed over every week in the U.S., resulting in an average 232 fatalities. In 70% of the incidents a parent or close relative is the driver.

When learning to drive we were taught a safety checklist before turning the key. Over the years we become hurried, preoccupied, complacent. We drive the same cars every day. The seat and mirrors are always in the same place. Just start and go. Years of driving experience and familiarity with our surroundings blind us to what is right in front of us. Or behind. The safety checks become forgotten- second nature. Just like you can obscure a motorcycle with your thumb, KidsandCars.org has an interesting example of thirty children standing and sitting behind a SUV-All out of the view of the driver.

Children playing behind vehicles have no idea of the dangers. Bigger SUV’s and trucks that have high clearances can create a welcoming, shady, private area for a child to play. Electric and hybrid vehicles exacerbate the hazards, as they create little to no sound.

Children being left in cars are yet another issue that is increasingly in the news. Sometimes it is forgetfulness. Some are purposeful in the sense, “It’s only for a minute”. If casinos are nearby the chances go up. Maryland covers approximately 12,400 square miles with a population of about six million, with six casinos spread throughout the State. According to a March 2017 Baltimore Sun article, Gamblers leave their kids in cars almost everywhere there are casinos, Kidsandcars.org have chronicled more than 300 cases of child abandonment at casinos nationwide since 2000. There have been fourteen incidents of children abandoned outside casinos in Maryland over the last two years.

As responsible adults we need to stop and review our driving habits and preparations. It takes less than a second to check behind your vehicle before getting in. Checking the surrounding area and the interior before getting in the car should be part of a personal security/safety check anyway.

Simple changes to our routines, education and awareness, go a long way. They may literally save a young life.