I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO A HUMAN!

Norajohnson Breakingviews

THERE are so many things wrong in the UK currently that it is practically impossible to get numbers down to even a top 10. Whenever back in the country, however, one of my almost daily frustrations is attempting to speak to a human in any organisation via any medium.

Some have removed phone contact, others email addresses and even chat messages (although that point may not be a bad thing with banks, with which you ‘live chat’ only to discover that the agent is actually dealing with some 300 ‘chatters’ and may get back to you tomorrow). And why are so many actual staff still working from home, especially government agencies like HMRC, DVLA etc?

Question: Why is it so difficult to speak to a human in wealthy, successful organisations?

Answer: Because they become successful initially by being small, flexible and customer ­ focused. Then they trade on that reputation to grow to a size where they’re bought out by MegaGlobalCorp Inc, who keep those direct debits rolling over whilst sacking everyone and closing down most of the back­office operation. Customer service will be an irrelevance,